JACK MWIIMBU HAS NO POLITICAL WILL ON REFUGEES SAYS ACHBISHOP MPUNDU
…says from the moment of his Episcopal ordination on 17th December, 1972, to his retirement, he has dedicated his life to aiding “the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus” who sought refuge in Zambia.
Lusaka, September 13, 2023 (Smart Eagles)
The failure by Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwiimbu to discharge his mandate to naturalize refugees who qualify for Zambian citizenship is reflection of a lack of political will and missed opportunity to conclusively address the refugee issue through existing legal channels says emeritus Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.
In a statement released today, Archbishop Mpundu said the process to naturalise refugees began when the previous regime enacted the Refugees Act in 2017 and received substantial funding from the international community, with the intention of locally integrating them into our communities but has continued to stall.
“It deeply concerns me that the current Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, has not taken steps in the last two years to invoke Section 49 of the Refugees Act, 2017,” he said.
Archbishop Mpundu says Zambia must show greater concern for the legal status and well-being of the approximately 17,305 former refugees and their children who have lived in Zambia for over two decades, and yet, they are denied citizenship.
While commending President Hakainde Hichilema for approving a national refugee policy, Archbishop Mpundu observed that immigration authorities continue to wantonly incarcerate refugees, depriving them of the opportunity to engage in income-generating activities for self-sustainability and the chance to seek quality medical care.
And Archbishop Mpundu has cautioned President Hichilema regarding any reckless decisions regarding the repatriation of refugees to Rwanda instead of Geneva on the genocide that happened in 1994.
“While I acknowledge the concerns raised by President Paul Kagame, we must recognize that individuals accused of committing genocide were tried in the Arusha Court on Rwandan genocide, a process completed with Zambia’s cooperation,” he said
Zambia currently hosts 89,100 refugees with 17,305 refugees being at the verge of being stateless by virtue of the cessation clause declared in 2013