President Edgar Lungu is expected in Nchelenge District in Luapula Province with humanitarian agencies to have an on the spot check of the asylum seekers at Kenani refugee transit centre.
President Lungu is expected to visit the refugee transit centre along with the humanitarian agencies so that together they can scale up intervention measure to refugees entering Zambia on a daily basis.
The President is concerned that the situation concerning refugees might degenerate into a humanitarian crisis if no intervention measure are taken.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda confirmed the President’s visit to the district to Journalist at Kenani Refugee Transit Camp in Nchelenge District today.
Mr. Chanda said the head of state will arrive in the district for his schedule in the morning and return to Lusaka immediately he concludes his scheduled program.
“The President is arriving in Nchelenge tomorrow. He is travelling with different humanitarian actors, the UN, UNHCR and other agencies to come and have an on the spot check on the conditions pertaining to the situation of the refugee crisis,” explained Mr. Chanda
Mr. Chanda stated that the president wants to urge the international community to do more on their interventions to prevent the refuge situation especially during this rain season.
Mr. Chanda said the President is concerned with the conditions of the refugees especially during rain season stating that he will come with medical supply and other things for asylum seekers who are being kept at Kenani camp to avoid any outbreak of diseases associated with large movement of people.
He said the heads of states of the great lakes region are already seeking solutions to the political problems facing Congo DR and the people who are seeking asylum not only in Zambia but also in other neighboring countries.
He said the president is aware that the refugee situation is getting worse every day because the number of asylum seekers entering Zambia per day has kept increasing which may lead to a humanitarian crisis.
He said the president wants the humanitarian agencies concerned with the welfare of refugees to scale up their efforts to forestall the situation before it degenerate into a crisis.
And Commissioner for Refugees Abdon Mawere said currently government is providing basic needs to asyrum seekers and was happy that the head of state was coming to see the extent of the problem concerning refugees.
Mr. Mawere said food, shelter and water is being given on a daily basis but noted that the numbers of refugees are fast increasing which he said requires a solution urgently.
Over 5,800 asyrum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo have entered Zambia through Chiengi border running away from civil war resulting from the political tension necessitated by the incumbent President who has refused to step down and call for an election after his term of office expired over a year ago.
Leaders of the great lakes region met recently in Congo Brazzaville with view to find solutions but the outcome of the meeting remains to be seen.
5,800 and rising? Zambia just does not have the capacity and economic wealth to support this. These people will bring an increase in disease and social problems.
They must be sent back immediately when it is safe for them to return. We can’t absolve these people into our country, we can barely cope with the needs of indigenous Zambian poor.
We need a strong stand like Pakistan with the refugee crisis from neighbouring Maymar(pardon sp).
be appreciative that Zambians don’t have to flee their home.
The president should also visit Zambians that have been displaced by WHITE farmers, Chinese/ investors in Serenje and several parts of the country.
Damn! Your own people are being displaced in serenje, then you run to go and see refugues in luapula…. I’d!otic!!!
@Ndobo, please tell that @Nubian that so many refugees from Serenje farms to Mkushi.
Infact you Nubian also fled your home to America.
Raila Oginda is just a comedian. Just wasted govt money on rerun.
just like Raila Odinga of Zambia would.
u5 can not get 50+1 .
and if there was a rerun
green party. fdd. all tuma bemba parties
will work wit pf because to block u5 because he is:
arrogant
pompus
egoistic
sturbon
tribal .
self seekin
self centered
Nobody can work with u5 in event of rerun.
thats why we are 100% sure he will never rule ZAMBIA
Just let them in. The DRC war is about tantalum. Check out who the players are and will find out why this war won’t end any time soon. I feel sorry for the public of Africa.
Joseph Kabila is like Robert Mugabe and HH.they dont want to be replaced but die on top of their parties.Zambia can under go the same situation as in Congo DR if HH by any grave mistake won the president.the nigga has never called for any convention in upnd since 2006!!those are clear signs of a dictator!!
See how Kabila has put us in huge problems!!this can be avoided by voting for law abiding citizens such as Edgar Lungu here in Zambia or Moise Katumbi in Congo DR!!
Lungu is growing into a Mugabe.. ..that is how all dictators start just like lungu…
Please welcome them with open hands and let the leaders from Luapula province deal with these with your assistance and international.
Preserve peace its like a fragile egg, once an egg is broken no one can fix it. You can’t mend or glue a broken egg back to its former appearance. That’s the same with Peace!
Congo’s peace was disturbed ever since the Belgians abused those people and it became worse in 1961 after Lumumba’s death, ever since then they have tried to patch it back but its has never been the same- that country is just cursed. Those people are traumatised by 2 centuries of extreme violence. It will take another 100 years for them to forget the pain and move on.
MR PRESIDENT, WE ALREADY HAVE A FRAMEWORK FOR DEALING WITH THESE HUMANITARIAN ISSUES. DON’T YOU THINK DELEGATING WOULD SAVE RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THIS CRISIS.
Just another excuse to get on an aircraft for this Lazy Bum and collect airmiles; its been a while since he got on an aircraft, he is itching ….civilians are being evicted in Serenji by commercial farmers and patients are dying in UTH due to lack of basics facilities and this shiftless bum wants to do a spot look in Luapula. How many times has he gone to Luapula this year alone, doesn’t he have a minister in the province!!
Zambian women and children are being displaced in villages in their own country due to the indiscriminate issuance of traditional land to bogus foreign investors and he opts to visit Congolese refugees leaving his own to suffer. Is this the meaning of Sata’s pro poor vision he promised to continue following only a few days ago at the memorial? What a shame!
Let him go, he is a lazy Bum anyway….those Asylum Seekers will vote for him. When was the last time Lazy did a spot look at the economy and the ever increasing debt.
Lungu should take an on the spot look at Zambia’s own economic refugees in Chibolya,Misisi and other slum places 1st.
Pointless visit to look busy and deflect attention from your misrule…..when are you going to hold a FREE press conference Mr lungu ???
Its the continuation of his desire to be recognised. We dont have the resources to look after these pipo so he will look to the same white people he despises to get aid/ funding. Part of the humble christian portrayal
We do have a responsibility under International conventions to accept and look after genuine refugees with the assistance of relevant international agencies and bodies. But the point here is that inspecting these camps does not require an ‘entire’ President. In fact, so many of the ventures this President embarks on are matters for other govt. officials to work on. What does he appoint all those people for? He gallivants everywhere for anything.
Secondly, he never meaningful addresses economic issues or the breakdown of order among his ministers and cadres. There are more pressing issues that he consistently ignores.
So Bwana Lungu cares more for foreign subjects than our own poor taxpaying Zambians?
Maybe Lazy Lungu is gunning for a Humanitarian award…he wants an award like his equally stubborn colleague with the same big ego as himself who was awarded over the weekend.
I have an award for you Lazy Edgar here waiting..its the award of Chief Air Steward depleter of air beverages!!
Started preparing the number of voters for 2021 General Elections, in the name of Asylum seekers.
Its good for the President to visit such a facility but I think the timing makes it a bad idea. Its not safe for the President to visit such an unestablished refugee camp given the chances that the refugees have not been properly documented and could pause a security risk. Please rethink….!
If that is a possibility then I support this trip fully!
Hypocrisy at its best… people in Zambia are suffering as well but the president has ignored us even put a nail in the coffin by increasing; pay as you earn, TV levy, fuel, toll gates, police traffic fees and Zesco.
In short we are refugees in our own country, Zambezi portland is misplacing residents in masaiti, white farmers in southern province, we have seen how many houses have been brought down in the cover of darkness by our own president even on people who had settled before Zambia was Zambia.
Lungu is an actor please give him a role in Banja on Muvitv.
out of 14 million population, over 4 million are foreigners i.e indians, muslims, hindus, lebanese, congolese, ugandans, angolans, kenyan. Like hell there every where most of them with green NRC’s.
so lungu take those refugees to kigali where you come from or malawi where rupiah comes from.
We have had enough of the Congo D R political problems. Why cant they learn to things right for once. Its fighting all the time. What makes their country a Democratic Republic with all this nonsense of people fleeing their country?
Zambia needs to change its position on the DRC refugee problem. It seem we are making it possible for them to engage in fighting by taking thousands of their people into our country. CLOSE OUR BORDERS TO SEND A WARNING THAT WE NOW TIRED OF THE WRANGLES. We need to take strong position on this in order to safe guard ourselves against diseases and crime associated with such movements.