Ethiopia>>UN demands release of arrested Ethiopian refugees

UNITED Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is giving the Malawi Government pressure to have the 46 Ethiopian refugees arrested two weeks ago released.

The 46 were arrested at Mwanza boarder as they attempted to illegally sneak out of their Luwani camp in a tiny boarder district of Neno.

Immigration authorities, who were tipped of the illicit act by the public, apprehended the refugees while hiding in an oil tanker destined for South Africa.

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Bob Khamisa told the state radio today that the UN agency wants government to surrender the refugees to them as is required by the International regulations.

However, Khamisa said government is still discussing the matter with them because at the moment its stand is to deport them as they have proved not to be genuine asylum seekers.

"These people are currently in police custody but we are failing to take them to court because the UNHCR is giving us pressure to surrender these people to them," Khamisa said.

He however explained that since Malawi is party to international treaty on refugees government is currently discussing the issue with the agency and a decision will be made soon.

The minister said some of the refugees being accommodated in the country were once fighters in their countries and if kept unchecked it poses a security hazard to the nation.

"Some of these refugees were combatants in their countries and for the country to be harbouring such people in the country are a security risk," he said.

Khamisa also said government was concerned with many foreigners particularly East Africans who are taking Malawi as their transit point.

"But we are now tightening the loose ends and let me also warn those Malawians, especially from Chitipa and Karonga, who are also conniving with such people that once apprehended the law will deal with them," he said.