The Malawi Police Service (MPS) says Dzaleka Refugees Camp is compromising police operations and wants it moved from Dowa to Karonga district.
This is according to Inspector General (IG) of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja who was speaking this when he met the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, October 20 in Lilongwe.
IG Kainja said the geographical location of the facility is barring police officers to successfully handle illegal immigrants claiming a refugee camp is not supposed to be at the heart of the country but rather along bordering districts.
He has asked PAC to facilitate the moving of Dzaleka Refugee Camp from Dowa to Karonga saying the police is wasting a lot of public funds in returning the refugees from Dzaleka as the camp is far from the border.
In his response to the IG’s request, Vice chairperson for PAC Nedson Poya said the request is so valid and has since assured him that the concerns will be looked at though he said the matter involves several ministries and departments.
“There are a lot of factors that have to be taken on board, the issue of financing, the issue of funding. The police don’t determine on the issue of how much do we get, another office determines that.
“It’s an issue that has to be tackled broadly, looking into the ministry of finance on how we finance the police. So, for us to be satisfied, we have to touch all angles,” said Poya.
The matter is coming when recently the Ministry of Homeland Security ordered that all refugees and asylum seekers living in the country’s towns and cities to relocate to Dzaleka Refugee Camp on security grounds.
According to refugees agency, UNHCR, as of now, Dzaleka refugee camp hosts over 50, 000 refugees and asylum seekers.
