Southern Africa

Operational environment

 
The Southern Africa sub-region hosts more than half a million refugees and asylum-seekers mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Eritrea and Zimbabwe. Other nationalities seeking asylum include Nigeria, Bangladesh and even China.
 
There has been an increase in people of concern in the region since January 2017, particularly due to the influx of over 33,000 asylum-seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to neighbouring Angola and some 12,000 into Zambia.
 
The reconciliation between the Government of Mozambique and the opposition has progressed in past months. A tri-partite agreement between UNHCR and the Governments of Malawi and Mozambique is currently being finalized to repatriate some 3,000 Mozambican asylum-seekers from Malawi. Zimbabwe is also hosting over 7,500 Mozambican asylum-seekers.  
 
Although several countries in the sub-region are experiencing economic growth, many are still struggling with inequalities, poverty, seasonal floods, drought, food shortages, poor social protection, xenophobia and a high HIV/AIDS prevalence. Mixed movements are putting a strain on national asylum systems and triggering restrictive migration and refugee policies in the region.
 
While nearly all countries are parties to international and regional refugee instruments, most still have reservations regarding freedom of movement and access to employment, thus keeping refugees mainly in camps and settlements.
 
UNHCR continues to advocate for accession to and ratification of international and/or regional instruments on refugees, IDPs and stateless persons, as well as for lifting reservations to these instruments; support the development of national legal frameworks. In close cooperation with governments, the Office continues to advocate for the prevention of  xenophobia; improve the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers within mixed movement —particularly within SADC; promote alternatives to detention; find comprehensive solutions particularly to protracted refugee situations and former refugees still hosted by asylum countries; improve standards of assistance through empowerment of refugees, self-reliance, livelihoods and implementation of cash-based interventions; and promote the implementation of the global action plan to end statelessness by 2024.
 
UNHCR is pursuing a multi-year protection and solutions strategy for 2018-2021 to ensure that governments, with support of UNHCR and other stakeholders, assume responsibility for refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons. 

Response and implementation

 
The Indian Ocean Island States do not host significant numbers of people of concern to UNHCR. UNHCR will continue to monitor the situation mainly through partners and periodic missions. UNHCR is encouraging Comoros and Mauritius to accede to international refugee and statelessness instruments, and to establish referral mechanism to coordinate the management of asylum-seekers, refugees and stateless persons. Seychelles has requested UNHCR’s technical support in drafting a national legal asylum framework that could serve as a model for other Indian Ocean Island States. Seychelles has also shown interest in acceding to statelessness conventions.
 
Botswana is hosting 2,136 refugees and 695 asylum-seekers. The refugees reside in Dukwi refugee camp in line with the Government’s encampment policy. UNHCR will continue to advocate for lifting reservations to the 1951 Convention, offer providing technical assistance to the Government in legislative review and refuge status determination, and seek solutions to asylum-seekers detained at the Centre for Illegal Immigrants in Francistown.
 
Lesotho hosts 48 people of concern. UNHCR will continue advocating for the local integration of long-staying refugees as well as providing capacity building to authorities on the refugee status determination and management of refugees and asylum-seekers.
 
Madagascar is hosting 89 refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR will continue supporting Madagascar in the management of refugees and asylum-seekers through the provision of social and legal assistance by an implementing partner. UNHCR also advocates and provides technical assistance in the ratification of statelessness conventions and adoption of legislation based on nationality. For example, in February, the Government promulgated an amendment to the nationality law granting men and women equal rights to pass on their nationality to their children, thereby removing gender discrimination as a cause for statelessness.
 
Namibia hosts some 3,900 refugees and asylum-seekers in Osire Refugee Settlement and in urban areas. In line with the phase out strategy, UNHCR provides shelter, food and core relief items through its local implementing partner and supports the government in absorbing the assistance activities. UNHCR also supports the government in the local integration of some 1,700 former Angolan refugees who are in the process of receiving residence permits.
 
UNHCR provides protection and assistance mainly through a local implementing partner to over 1,200 refugees and asylum-seekers residing in Malindza Reception Center and in urban areas in Swaziland. UNHCR will also continue providing technical support to the government in the finalization of the new refugee law and on statelessness issues.