A group of 47 Namibians fleeing seccessionist tensions in the northern Caprivi Strip crossed south into Botswana this week swelling the number of asylum seekers to 849, a UNHCR spokeman told IRIN on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Botswana authorities on Wednesday released the first group of Namibian refugees who were detained when they started coming during the last week of October and early November. The 104 who appeared in court last Friday, have now been released on bail, the spokesman said.
All except two of their leaders, who were told stay in the capital, Gaborone and report daily to the police, are being housed in refugee camps where tents provided by the Red Cross and the army were set up for them.
The 104 are due to appear in court on 11 December. More than 1,000 San bushmen have also crossed from Caprivi into Botswana, but they have not formally sought asylum, the UNHCR said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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