President Edgar Lungu has arrived in Luapula Province for a spot-check on the refugee crisis at the Kenani Refugee Transit Centre in Nchelenge district.
President Lungu arrived at Mansa Airport in the morning enroute to Nchelenge district where the transit centre for refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo has been set up.
ZANIS reports that President is accompanied by United Nations Resident Coordinator Janet Rogan and Minister of Defence Davies Chama.
Provincial Minister for Luapula Nixon Chilangwa, provincial Permanent Secretary Buleti Nsemukila and other senior party and government officials were at hand to receive the head of state.
The Zambian Head of State is making his first visit to the camp to assess the conditions asylum seekers are living in with the aim of mobilising international support from humanitarian agencies to address what could degenerate into a crisis if left unchecked.
President Lungu’s Press Aid Amos Chanda told Journalists yesterday that the main focus of the President’s visit is to help scale up interventions to prevent the refugee situation from escalating into a humanitarian crisis.
The President is expected to return back to Lusaka immediately after his scheduled business at the refugee centre.
The number of asylum seekers from Congo has continued to increase with over 5,800 refugees recorded at Kenani camp mostly women and children.
Mr.Lungu should also go to Serenje and Mkushi and assess the conditions of internally displaced Zambians and mobilize international support from humanitarian agencies.
The Zambian “refuges” problem brought by white farmers and Chinese needs to be a address before it degenerates into a crisis if left unchecked.
We need to stop white farmers and Chinese from displacing our brothers and sisters.
@Mshotah, that’s not mockery but real. It’s really sad, why not give those infestors, untouched land, and not land close to roads where people have settled?
It’s crisis.
I have always been preaching about white supremacists, whites mean bad to Africa at large. DRC crisis was generated by white supremacists, later on, Zambians will run for peace in other nations. This is why a white man shouldn’t take interest in Zambia politics because they bring disunity to control.
Why didnt the black supremacist step down when his term expired?
Where is the AU? These are low hanging fruits for the AU to resolve.
This crisis could have been avoided had Joseph Kabila stepped down last December after his term of office came to an end. These selfish African leaders are so heartless. Can’t he learn from what happened to Mobutu Sese seko really?
What a useless man who can not delegate simple basic roles.
There are assignments that have to be undertaken by the President – and this is one of them.
I do not think Lungu will RETURN BACK to Lusaka as the writer of this story puts it. I think Lungu will either RETURN to Lusaka, or he will FLY BACK to Lusaka.
Not too long ago, President Lungu and President Kagame they Met to discuss security around the lake region.
Look what happen after the meetings. We have refugees and nothing was said about us preparing ourselves for this.
I thought The reason having a meeting; is to state the danger to educate and inform.
Soon he’ll fly out of the country as if State House has BED-BUGS. Zambians are refugees in their own country but this mangwam is blind to the suffering of the masses who were dancing for him 12 months ago.
Are these people serious? How does visiting a refugee camp with 5000- 6000 people in it warrant a presidential visit? How does this visit “help scale up interventions to prevent the refugee situation from escalating into a humanitarian crisis”? The President has got this backwards – he and other leaders in the region should be focused on the REASON for the mini refugee crisis by going to the source (Jeseph Kabila et al) in the “DRC”. There would be no refugees fleeing the “DRC” if the country was at peace. Moreover, “DRC” is at now one of the classic misnomers in the world because the “democratic” part of this acronym came to and end as soon as Kabila went against the constitution -that is what happens what happens (unfortunately mostly in Africa) when leaders get addicted to…