VZCZCXRO1827
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLG #0803/01 3020907
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290907Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4741
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0981
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 0057
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0001
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6711
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 0006
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0043
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 2562

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000803 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PRM - MARY LANGE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PGOV MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI - REFUGEE CAMP CONSOLIDATION FAILS TO STOP 
INFLUX, BUT UNITES DISCONTENT 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The government of Malawi's (GOM) closure of 
the Luwani refugee camp and Karonga transit shelter has 
failed to stop the flow of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali 
men through the country.  Over 400 of these refugees arrived 
in a single day in October.  Asylum seekers from the Horn of 
Africa continue to use the Dzaleka refugee camp as a rest 
stop before disappearing, paying up to USD 200 per person to 
be transported to Mozambique and beyond.  At the same time, 
land and shelter problems have delayed the relocation of the 
remaining 760 refugees from the Luwani camp and the increased 
population in Dzaleka is both stressing camp resources and 
raising concern among locals who increasingly view refugees 
as economic competitors.  As the GOM continues to seek a way 
to stop what it views as illegal migration through its 
territory, delays in the processing and settlement of 
legitimate refugees, an increased push to repatriate existing 
refugees, and new refugee legislation are likely. 
 
Security Concerns Cause Consolidation of the Refugee Camps 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  In May 2007, the government of Malawi announced the 
closure of the Luwani refugee camp in the southern part of 
the country, as well as the Karonga Transit Shelter near the 
northern border with Tanzania.  At the time, the GOM stated 
that security risks were the primary reason for the closure 
and cited instances of large groups of Ethiopians, Eritreans, 
and Somalis intercepted crossing into Mozambique and Zambia. 
By closing the shelter and the camp, the GOM hoped to stem 
the flow of migration from the Horn of Africa through Malawi. 
 The asylum seekers from the Horn are almost exclusively 
male, aged between 18 and 35, and claim they are fleeing 
forced conscription.  The GOM feels the men are usually 
economic migrants who took advantage of the shelter and the 
camps to receive free supplies, food, and transportation from 
the northern border of Malawi to a point close to Mozambique, 
where they can continue on to South Africa. 
 
Still Arriving From the Horn 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The closure of the Karonga Transit Shelter has 
proven problematic.  Although now officially closed, it is 
still used by immigration officials to allow asylum seekers 
shelter for a day or two until they can be transported to the 
Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, just outside of Lilongwe. 
Recent press reports indicated that a fight had broken out at 
the shelter between groups of Somalis and Ethiopians over 
water, underscoring that previous security problems at the 
shelter still exist.  Once arriving in Dzaleka, asylum 
seekers are put in a large, sheet-metal building while their 
refugee applications are reviewed.  Recently, few from the 
Horn of Africa have stayed to hear the answer.  The 
Department of Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs 
(DPDMA), which oversees refugee issues, stated that since 
June 2007, 1,591 people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia 
had filed a claim of asylum and been sent to the Dzaleka 
refugee camp, but only 478 remained in the camp as of October 
¶10.  Of the 478, 413 had arrived in the previous week. Less 
than three percent of refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia are 
woman and children, compared to over 75% of refugees from 
other countries. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  According to camp officials and United Nations High 
Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) staff, the Ethiopians and 
Somalis use a well-established network of transporters to get 
through Malawi.  Fees range from USD 120-200 to get from 
Dzaleka to the Mozambican border.  Most leave in the middle 
of the night, often hitching rides in small groups in the 
cabs or backs of fuel and supply trucks that come near the 
camp.  Others walk into the local villages where they are met 
by the transporters.  All take the camp-provided bedding and 
provisions with them, forcing camp administrators to issue 
only minimal supplies until refugee applications are 
approved.  In response to the continued migration, the GOM is 
moving supervision of refugee issues from the Office of the 
President and Cabinet to the Ministry of Home Affairs and 
Internal Security where immigration, police, and prisons are 
housed. 
 
Problems Delay Relocation 
 
LILONGWE 00000803  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U)  The relocation of the over 3000 Luwani camp refugees 
to Dzaleka was supposed to be completed by the end of August. 
 A disagreement with locals over land and a shortage of 
building materials for new shelters have delayed the move 
completion until the end of November.  On October 10, Emboff 
visited the Dzaleka refugee camp to view the progress of the 
relocation.  According to DPDMA, 760 refugees still remained 
in Luwani awaiting relocation.  Among those who had been 
relocated to Dzaleka, many still lacked roofs for their 
shelters.  UNHCR staff commented that roofing materials would 
be delivered the following week, but many refugees expressed 
concern to Emboff about not having a roof when the rainy 
season starts in November.  The Dzaleka camp covers 201 
hectares and UNHCR estimates it can hold a maximum of 9300 
people.  Once all refugees are relocated it will have a 
population approaching 8800 people and continues to get a 
steady stream of new refugees from the Congo. 
 
Anti-refugee Sentiment Building 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U)  Dzaleka was opened in 1994 at the location of a 
former prison.  It has land for cultivation, housing, a 
school, and a medical clinic.  In most regards, the 
conditions of the established part of the camp meet or exceed 
those of the local villages surrounding the camp.  The 
majority of medical clinic patients are local Malawians and 
not refugees.  Locals believe the clinic has a more reliable 
stock of medication.  The school has over 1,700 students, but 
with 16 refugee teachers augmenting a local staff of 20 
teachers, the school's student-to-teacher ratio is favorable 
compared to those in neighboring village schools.  Over 240 
Malawian students have received special permission to attend 
the Dzaleka camp school instead of local schools due to the 
perception that it is better and has more resources. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  In addition to using camp schools and medical 
facilities, locals continue to try to encroach on camp 
property.  Local authorities have intervened and forced 
Malawians to stop cultivating on refugee camp land as more 
refugees are relocated to Dzaleka.  Locals believe it is 
unfair that refugees are able to cultivate cash crops since 
they are given food rations each day, while they must plant 
staples such as maize.  While UNHCR continues to encourage 
the GOM to ease employment and legal restrictions on 
refugees, the public is asking for more protection from 
refugee economic competition.  Although only 1,389 official 
refugees live outside the camp in urban areas, Malawians 
continue to complain that long-time refugees who have settled 
in the cities are taking jobs and putting locals out of 
business.  Police have responded with round-ups that take 
refugees who live illegally in cities back to the camp. 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Comment: The Luwani camp closure has failed as a 
method to stop migration from the Horn of Africa through 
Malawi.  The move of refugees to the same ministry as police 
and immigration is another attempt to try and combat the flow 
of Somalis and Ethiopians.  As stopping what the GOM views as 
illegal immigration rises in importance, policy shifts may 
lead to delays in the processing and settlement of legitimate 
refugees.  The lack of a second camp is already stressing the 
Dzaleka's land and resources, and the camp is unlikely to be 
able to bear a steady stream of new refugees.  There have 
been only 14 voluntary repatriations in 2007 and the GOM is 
anxious to restart tripartite talks with the government of 
Rwanda to discuss the repatriation of over 4000 refugees 
(septel).  With stable neighbors on all borders and new 
refugees coming from farther away, the GOM will likely take a 
hard look at its existing refugee laws, as well as those of 
its neighbors, to see if Malawi can make itself a less 
appealing refugee destination. 
EASTHAM