Government considers citizenship for long-term refugees

Zambia, which hosts tens of thousands of refugees from war-torn neighbouring countries, is considering granting citizenship to refugees who have been living on its soil for at least 30 years, a state-owned daily reported on Friday. The 'Zambia Daily Mail' quoted Home Affairs Minister Peter Machungwa as telling parliament on Thursday that his ministry was considering amending the law to allow such refugees to be granted citizenship, along with their children. Machungwa was expected to present the proposed legislation to parliament in the near future, the paper said. Ordinarily foreigners have to stay in Zambia consecutively for a minimum period of 10 years before they can be granted citizenship, but that law does not apply to refugees. Zambia currently hosts more than 250,000 refugees, mostly from the neighbouring states of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).