The Department of Refugees in Malawi has commenced the registration and repatriation of Mozambican refugees who fled into the country due to instability in their homeland.
Principal Secretary for Homeland Security Steven Kayuni has confirmed the development. “It’s in the affirmative. Since the Mozambican Minister of Interior’s visit, the voluntary repatriation process is in session.
“More than 12 convoys have, so far, been shipped across the river. The camp population is scaling down now,” Kayuni said.
Refugee Department Administrator Hilda Kausiwa said the voluntary repatriation process began last week, with over 5,000 refugees already registered to return to Mozambique.
“We started the repatriation of those in Nyamithuthu settlement on 1st March,” she said.
She further disclosed that, so far, 3,050 refugees have been successfully repatriated via the Shire River to Mozambique.
Meanwhile, she said, registration is ongoing at other sites in Nsanje.
“As this is a voluntary process. We are also conducting assessments for those unwilling to return. The aim is to understand their reasons and, where necessary, relocate them to Dzaleka Refugee Camp,” Nyamithuthu said.
The official said the repatriation exercise was being carried out in coordination with other agencies to ensure a smooth and dignified return for those opting to go back to Mozambique.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Charles Kalemba has said the Department of Disaster Management Affairs provided food assistance when the refugees first arrived.
It then handed over responsibility to other institutions.
“We only came in at the beginning before the Commissioner for Refugees, WFP [World Food Programme], and UNHCR [United Nations Refugees Agency] put their relief items together,” Kalemba said.
He further said a government assessment found that some of the refugees had already been living in Malawi but joined the camps to access relief items.
The repatriation of Mozambican refugees from Malawi comes in the wake of instability that forced thousands to flee their homeland.
The root cause of the displacement can be traced to political and security tensions that escalated after Mozambique’s general elections.
Following the October 2023 elections, which saw President Filipe Nyusi’s ruling party, Frelimo, maintain power, opposition groups, particularly Renamo, and some civil society organisations contested the results, alleging widespread fraud and irregularities.
The post-election period was marked by protests, crackdowns by security forces and sporadic violence in some regions, particularly in the central and northern parts of the country.
Adding to the instability, Mozambique has been grappling with an insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where jihadist militants have launched attacks, displacing thousands of people.
While this conflict has been ongoing for years, the unrest around the elections created further insecurity, leading some Mozambicans to seek refuge in neighbouring Malawi.
Now, with relative stability returning to parts of Mozambique and an agreement between the Malawian and Mozambican governments, the voluntary repatriation process has begun, aiming to reintegrate displaced citizens into their communities.
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