‘There is absolutely no way I am going back there. I don’t have anyone left there, all my family members are here and others died right here in Zambia. I have been living happily here, why should I be forced to go back to a country that we fled war from in my current state?”
These are the words from 66-year-old Nyalumela Kashekele, an Angolan refugee at the Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement in Kaoma district in the Western Province of Zambia.
For Kashekele, who was born in 1946, going back to Angola is the last thing on her mind. She has no good memories of Angola, save alone for the little time she got to spend with her two children who were slain during the war.
“I don’t know what happened to any of my relatives. I don’t even remember correctly what happened to my children. All I know is that they were killed in cold blood,” says the aging Kashekele.
She is not the only one. There is also Chitondo Kasoka, another Angolan refugee from Moxico province. He might hold the ‘title’ of being one of the oldest refugees at the settlement after arriving soon after it was opened in 1966, but he, too, is devastated and unsure of the security situation in his native Angola.
“We ran away because of war and if they make us go back there now, what will become of us? I have been living here since I was 25 years old and all my parents have died here, there is no one in Angola that I know,” says Chitondo, who engages in farming at the settlement.
One-hundred-year-old Erculano Salugardo shares the same view.With him, all that the Zambian Government should do is allow those that have stayed at the settlement for a long time to stay and get integrated among Zambians.
“As you can see, I am very old and I don’t even have anyone to take care of me once I go back there. But for those that are still young and energetic, they can go if they so wish and engage in some income-generating activities such as farming,” he says.
For him, Zambia and particularly the Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement are home.
The settlement is the oldest in Africa and was established in 1966 to host Angolan refugees fleeing from the liberation war in that country. It is located about 105 kilometres north -west of Kaoma town and 197 kilometres from Mongu.
Its refugee population (as at April 30th) is now 9, 705. The majority (estimated to be 84 per cent) are Angolans with Burundians, Congolese and Rwandans sharing the other percentage.
Most of the new arrivals, estimated at 20 refugees per month at the settlement, are coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the South Kivu Province.
The death of rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in April 2002 brought an end to the war leading to the signing of the tripartite agreement on November 28, 2002 in Luanda, Angola. This development opened the doors for the repatriation of Angolan refugees.
To this effect, a total of 14,695 Angolan refugees have since been repatriated between 2003 and 2011. This organised voluntary repatriation exercise, which is since set to expire at the end of this month, is still on, and more are being encouraged to return home, but under a lot of difficulties, most of them just like Kashekele, Salurgado and Chitondo do not want to be repatriated.
Mwaba Mumba, a Ministry of Home Affairs refugee officer at the settlement, also confirms that the repatriation exercise has not been well received among the refugees.
“Some of the reasons are that they don’t have families in Angola. Other reasons are that they have been in Zambia since 1966, so the idea of going back to Angola and re-integrating is not so appealing. Others were born here in the settlement and they regard this place as home, they don’t know anything about Angola and Portuguese,” says Mumba.
She says it has been difficult for her office as well as that of UNHCR to convince the refugees to voluntarily repatriate to their native land saying “almost half of them here don’t want to go back and the others that are willing to go are doing so out of fear that they will be arrested if they continued to stay after June 30th.”
But in putting the record straight, an official from the Ministry of Home Affairs disputes such assertions and says there will not be any arrests but that those that will choose to remain after the deadline “will only have to satisfy the immigration requirements.”
It is in this vein that UNHCR in collaboration with both the Zambian and the Angolan governments has continued to promote repatriation as the most favourable durable solution and as of end of December 2011, a total of 1,165 Angolan refugees returned.
With UNHCR assisting the returnees with transportation, documentation and some essential basic commodities for their travel, the Angolan government provided them with an integration package upon arrival in the area of origin. But what remains to be seen is whether the recent repatriation exercise will yield fruit bearing in mind the number of refugees who are defiant to returning.
Government on the other hand has already pledged to support the repatriation process and continually urges the refugees to take advantage of the repatriation exercise to return to their country.
“We would like to take this opportunity to again reassure our Angolan relatives that there is sustainable peace in Angola and therefore safe for them to return home and contribute to the development of the great country,” said Western Province minister John Kufuna when he accompanied UNHCR executive committee chairperson Jan Knutsson during his recent visit to the settlement ahead of the World Refugee Day, which fell on June 20 under the theme, One Refugee Without Hope is too Many: Working Towards a new Life.
But even his words were not enough to convince Daniel Mukumbi, a fourth-year seminary student and brother at the Mongu Diocese who is also unyielding, saying “we feel neglected by both the Zambian government and UNHCR”.
Apparently, with just a few days remaining before the Angolan refugees reach the D-day, when about 23, 000 Angolans’ status will cease, the Zambian Government has also kept the integration cards close to its chest.
However, in any refugee situation, it is a known fact that even when conditions in the country of origin have improved warranting return, there are a few refugees who may opt to make the host country their permanent home for various reasons.
In view of these improved conditions in the countries which once generated refugees and UNHCR stating that cessation comes into force this year on 30 June for Angolans and same date next year for Rwandans, it is still not known what will happen to those that are still defiant to returning home.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Those who want to stay, let them stay.
After all they have lived in Zambia more than 40 years
Let him stay and live normal lives just like any Zambia
I cry as I read this.PLEASE leave those people alone.They are very much Zambian now even more Zambian than some of us who left Zambia ages ago and even struggle to speak our mother tongues properly.Please I appeal to the Zambian government to leave those elderly folk alone.and stop calling them refugees -surely having lived there for more than 40years they deserve to be Zambian.The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof.I decree and declare that those people be allowed to live in the land God created for them to dwell in-in safety.
I also add my voice to this. Let the people live in Zambia. It is now their chosen home. In fact give citizenship to those who have been in the country this long, and want to be citizens.
May God speak to our government, parliamentarians and the judiciary so that they can all be of the same mind as us the people of Zambia on this matter.
The more there are of us and on our side the better, if only we can properly manage the human resources at our disposal.
I love the picture of ambuya at the back, even though she is not showing her face.
Kwena ulalolekesha mune!
You know someone misses village.
I also wish to add my voice this cause. May the good government of Mr Sata let our brothers and sisters from Rwanda and Angola stay on this country. Most of them have no connection to the other countries apart from Zambia. Please let them remain in Zambia.
I berg you in the name of the most high God Through his son Jesus Christ that help to save life than to destroy.Let the people stay because they feel at home in Zambia.If you sent them back, where and how they gonna start new life?i will be so disappointed if home affairs will forcefully take these people out..Remember these our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.. thanx 4 reading…. :x
Ba Sata Just let them stay why should we impose unnecessary suffering on these old people. They have suffered enough
Since some have lived for more than 10years, let them be granted naturallised citizenship according to the rule of residence. Alliens they might be, but they know zambia more than their native country! We are a blessing to our neighbour countries because the Lord is our God!
We have enough land for all those who have lived for all this time in Zambia and want to stay here to stay. We all came from somewhere else and if we were today told to go, some of you back to Nigeria, Gambia, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda etc, would it be easy for you? It is not their fault that they found themselves here due to war in their country. They are Zambians as good as we are.
Let them stay.
Mind you Angola is a much richer country than Zambia and therefore they are not trying to unfairly benefit economically here. Their future generations would live a better life in Angola than here in Zambia. But they feel Zambian and don’t care about the oil and diamonds Angola would give them (although it all belongs to Dos Santos and his children).
Please please, let these people stay. Our constitution should also support naturalization of such people. Why make them refugies TWICE???
Please let these people live and please for goodness sake stop calling them refugees. These are Zambians. We are Zambians, we are known for being kind. Some of them were born in Zambia and some have buried their relatives in Zambia so what will they go back home for. There must be some United Nations rights these people have to remain in Zambia if they wish to since they have been there that long but above all as Zambians and as a Christian nation lets take care of the poor, the homeless, the vulnerable and especially people coming to Zambia fleeing war, that is what Christians do. Christianity is about love because God is love. Love helps. Love cares. Have you noticed that God has all power but He is not power. He is love and love never fails. That is what makes Christianity different.
Let them stay
these guys if it means staying let them stay in the refuge camps rather than in the compound because there are the ones stealing since they do not have permanent homes except shops.
Zambians u have a good heart ahh…These pipo shud go back to their countries and teach wat they’ve been through so that history does not repeat itself. We hav our own issues to sort out. We should learn to hav a thick skin brothers and sisters for us to forge ahead…
Please let these people stay in Zambia. They are now Zambians and should be treated so.
Let them stay, they are no longer refugees. In any case, borders are just imaginary separators, tuli bamo bene
these people should stay if they want
what has Sata got to do with repatration of refugees.
It’s inhuman and sadistic to send people away who do not want to go! Having lived that long in this territory definitely qualifies them for citizenship. Besides they are Africans which entitles them to live free any where on this continent of ours. Holding on tightly to boundaries created by white people who want to see us divided and disintegrated is shortsightedness. We are not totally independent if we still recognize these boundaries. In any case what sort of independence is it when we cling to the things we fought against? We still conduct business in English, copycat british education system, dressing, mannerisms and other hypocrisy. If we love their system so much why couldn’t we just have asked them nicely to continue ruling us? This hypocrisy smacks of animal farm
Let them be taken to Muchinga Escarpment where services are going to be better for them. Barotseland is too poor to host additional people.
Let them go back. Zambia must be for Zambians only
are you in zambia or in a foreign land?mutima kuipa,umutima ububi,koswe
But honestly how can you return when all your children and grand children where born in Zambia. Since 1966 why even force them to leave? They are now zambian citizens those poor people
Let them stay, all this country most of it unpopulated, there is no need to be mean. Fellow Africans who may even have some relationships with some of the ‘indigenious’ Zambians-let them stay.
All should go!!!! They are a security risk.
Do you remember banyamulunge ethnic rebels in DRC?
And we claim we are Christians, the sins of your fathers haunting you…… Let them stay….if i am a government official helping Africans repatriated like this, i would resign for the love of Christ….how do Africans even begin to do such…from 66 serious….. does Sata know about this………….. people please someone need to make a stop of such nonsense… hatred divided them through war, now black Africans treating them like caged rats…where is ubuntu my Africa…. Oh Christ when will you come!!!
Let those people stay in Zambia after all they have lived in Zambia longer than some indigenous Zambians.
those who want to stay stay…..they have been in Zambia too long to send them off like that! but the Rwandese should go back!
Balikeni bekale ala , what security risk..they are peace loving and more Zambian than some us in the diaspo fimo fimo…we embrace you all…
If they have stayed that long why even bother repatriating them. They can stay as long as they do not commit crime coz that may force authorities to make others’stay abit difficult.
Allow these people to live in Zambia and give them NRC, they deserve to be called Zambians. Please do not force them to go to a place that is not home as far as they are concerned. They are Zambians after all these years which ever angle you look at their case.
they have there country they are busy calling us kalui…dont use them to fight us. as you are using nkoyas. we are determined to liberate barotseland. they should respect us not grz. after all you wont host them in Muchinga, eastern, luapula but its us to give them land. haiba kicwalo hanibafi mubu wa bokuku
I like the one seated on the ground. With a nice hair style. Is that what you call Brazilian hair? She is my perfect size. Nice village chicken for Kanyengambeta. Leave them pse. Let them stay. They have intermarried with the locals and have two generations of relations here. Pse don,t be inhuman.
Don’t force these people to go. Let them stay. Don’t force them to go.
Let them stay if they want
They should go back. These are the chaps that are bringing confusion in barotse land. The Lozis mistake these guys as being Lozi that’s why they are calling for the break away. Back to your land guys. In fact we are even doing you a favour by Air lifting you, you should have walked back. Its only kilometers away.
if you say so, then what are you doing in USA?
How can you feel if they kick you out from USA tomorrow? don’t be stupid my friend
let them stay. They have assimilated into the culture
Its like forcing M.C Sata to go back and settle in Mpika, he will never ever go back there. He is a city man, lived in London, Russia, Luanshya, Lusaka… you spend life where you feel right, legal or illegal. Its everybody’s earth.
Please government do something and let them remain in Zambia
OF COURSE. JUST LET THEM BE ZAMBIANS. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE IN WANTING THEM TO GO BACK, UNLESS THEY WILLINGLY WISH TO GO BACK TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. SO YOU EXPECT THEM TO GO AND RESTART LIFE, AGAIN.
Let them stay.If Zambia is the only country they know then let them stay.
The work of ba SATA and even his strong stance against dual citizenship is typefied here.
Why are we even discussing this. Really is someone leaves in a country for that long they should be given citizenship by default unless they have commited some crime. This is their home land.
De facto zambians ,no question about it.
SEND THEM TO BRE they need people
Please Mr President. Let these people stay in Zambia. Please! To send them to countries where they will feel alien is inhuman in the extreme.
I want to make my contribution to this very important and sensitive issue of some Angolans refusing to come back home. There are many factors and reasons which are making some Angolans not wanting to come back.
I am here in Angola where I have been for more than 8 years since I came in 2003, march. I have seen the trauma that some returning Angolans have gone through and as at now some of them are dead. Even my own uncle died in the same manner. There is no care here from either the government or UNHCR. People are dumped without any sustainable help given to them. And here they are called Zambians those who came from Zambia and Congolese for those coming from D.R. of Congo. It is traumatising! They are segregated, no jobs given to them on the pretext of them taking over from those who….
did not run from the war. Evenif you have your qualifications, they donot care to look at them. They will rather employ that who is not qualified just because he/she did not run away during the war. Also let the Zambian government use it embassy officials here to get more information about these returnees. So that they can know how to table it with their counter parts here in Angola.I am not saying that they MUST NOT come,NO! But that let the world to Angola to learn to have true reconciliation for all Angolans.Unless we will have a new government otherwise it is very complicated, and the life that we are saying must come back in such conditions, may be lost immediately i8t comes here.But I am urging the young to come back and help change the situation here. COME! God will take care of us!
Some of you people can not analyse issues.
Most of the Angolan refugees (3/4) did NOT arrive in Zambia in 1966. Those that have been in Zambia that long are very few, less other 2% of the entire Angolan population.
Most of the Angolan refugees came into Zambia around late 1990s to early 2000s. Those are the people that have to go back, they can not be given citizenship just like that. The make up the majority of Angolan refugees, they can go back because their country is safe and the have family ties.
The story of these old people in the above article is rare and does not constitute the entire Angolan population.
Most of them need to go back. In fact their return is long overdue.
Well done PF for making the right decision to send them back