LUSAKA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Tuesday urged refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to follow laid-down procedures if they wanted to return back to their country.
Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo said despite relative calm returning to some parts of the DRC, the refugees should follow procedures so that they are helped through the voluntary repatriation to safely return to their country.
In remarks following the drowning of seven DRC refugees last Friday who had left a transit refugee camp in Zambia's Luapula Province without authorization, the minister said the incident could have been avoided if the refugees had followed procedure.
"It has been noted with regret that the refugees at Kenani Transit Center have been deserting the center without following established procedure for assisted voluntary repatriation and are filtering into neighboring villages to avoid relocation to a permanent refugee settlement," he told reporters during a press briefing.
He has since warned traditional leaders in the district to desist from harboring the refugees or facilitating their movements not authorized by authorities.
The official further said the government was happy that calm has returned to some parts of the DRC, which has resulted in the a sharp reduction in the number of refugees running into Zambia from a high of 15-20 in a day to just two or three.
The Kenani Transit Center was established at the height of an influx of DRC refugees last year who were running from instability in their country. The center had about 15,000 refugees, forcing the government to established a new permanent refugee settlement where the refugees are being transferred.
