Zambia to grant ex-Rwandan refugees alternative status

0

The Zambian cabinet has officially approved a recommendation to grant former Rwandan refugees alternative status after the expiry of their refugee status, a statement obtained by Xinhua on Thursday said. wpid-05-21-2014NigeriaRefugees.jpg
Rwandan refugees who fled war in their country and have been living in Zambia forfeited their refugee status on June 30, 2013 following the invocation of the ceased circumstances cessation clause.
The cessation clause affected about 4, 000 Rwandan refugees who were asked to return to their country but some have refused to do so as they prefer to remain in Zambia.
Acting Chief Government Spokesperson Ngosa Simbyakula said in the statement released after a cabinet meeting that the government will grant alternative status to the remaining former Rwandan refugees.
Meanwhile the government has issued 131 resident permits to former Angolan refugees who opted to remain in Zambia following the cessation of their refugee status under the second phase of an integration program.
Commissioner for Refugees Jacob Mphepo said the permits have been issued to successful candidates who met requirements of the local integration program, according to the Zambia Daily Mail.
The Zambian government received 6,000 applications from former Angolan refugees who had expressed interest to settle in Zambia two years ago and a total of 206 people have been issued with permits so far. Enditem

Source: Xinhua

Send your news stories to [email protected] Follow News Ghana on Google News

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here