Africa

Africa

UNHCR to cease operations in Namibia

30 May 2013 01:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United Nations' High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) country representative for Namibia Lawrence Mgbangson said on Wednesday that the agency is ceasing its operations in the country, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Speaking during the UNHCR Donor/Diplomatic briefing in Windhoek, Mgbangson said the refugee population in Namibia has significantly decreased and that the agency had more emergencies in other parts of the world, such as Syria, where close to 400,000 people need food or shelter. Mgbangson said his agency will wrap-up operations in Namibia next year in May.

"As of 24 May 2013, Namibia is hosting 2,817 refugees and asylum-seekers, of which 80 percent are Congolese and the rest from countries such as Rwanda and Burundi," he revealed.

There has also been a reduction in funding from the side of the donor community as they prefer to spend money in a country such as Syria, where it is needed most.

Namibia is regarded as a middle-income country, and can fend for itself," the UNHCR country representative stressed.

The Syrian refugee situation, Mgbangson said, is dire since most of the refugees who have crossed into Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are living in appalling conditions.

"To ensure any kind of food security, large-scale food distribution has become a necessity there. Thus, the money is needed there more than here," he said adding that some UNHCR international staff members in Namibia would be deployed in Syria.

Mgbangson said time is being wasted in Namibia because real work is in countries such as Syria and Sudan (Darfur) but was quick to add that the UNHCR could not just close down without strengthening the State's capacity in refugee matters.

He said the UNHCR will provide technical and financial support to Namibia through the UNHCR Regional office in Pretoria, South Africa after 2015.