Malawi has rejected granting the status refugees to 1200 foreign nationals to stay at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District
Authorities have not made public reasons and countries these refugees that have been denied such status are from.
Already, Lilongwe is hosting 52,000 refugees and asylum seekers at the moment. Minister of Homeland Security, Richard Chimwendo Banda, has told Parliament that those who have been denied the status will be repatriated to their countries.
This comes as the Malawi Government and concerned refugees are battling in court on whether to send refugees, who are in various locations back to their designated place Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the central region district of Dowa.
Some concerned refugees and citizens obtained a court injunction stopping authorities from sending them back to the camp, claiming the camp is too small. The matter is now under judicial review in the High court of Malawi.
Currently, Malawi hosts about 52,000 refugees and asylum seekers, a figure deemed to be huge for Dzaleka Camp as it was constructed to host only 12,000 of them.
Authorities have since engaged other stakeholders on the possibility of sending some refugees back to their countries which are at peace.
Minister of Homeland security Richard Chimwendo Banda has since said they have now started scrutinising any refugee and asylum seeker before certifying their status.
Initially, Malawi hosts refugees and asylum seekers mainly from the DRC, Burundu, Ethiopia and Somalia due to due political instability and social unrest mainly.
Malawi authorities say the refugees and asylum seekers continue to enter the country through borders with Zambia and Tanzania in the Northern Region.
