Fleeing Mozambicans take refuge in Zimbabwe – UN

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Fleeing Mozambicans take refuge in Zimbabwe – UN

1:51 CAT | 04 Apr 2016

At least 24 Mozambicans have taken refuge in Zimbabwe, claiming to flown armed clashes in the country, a UN representative has told Lusa.

Speaking by telephone, Robert Tibagwa, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Zimbabwe, reported receiving information of the arrival of two families with 20 and 21 members respectively.

Of the 41 who arrived in the Mutasa district of Manicaland on the border with Mozambique, “17 are Zimbabweans” living in Mozambique and “24 are Mozambicans,” said Tibagwa.

The UNHCR considers the 24 Mozambicans “refugees” because they say they have fled “shootings between government forces and Renamo in their villages in Mozambique”.

“We do not know exactly when they crossed the border, but we received the information on Tuesday,” Tibagwa said.

The 24 Mozambicans were taken in by relatives of their own ethnic group who live just across the border, and asked for “clothes and some food” which “the local government has provided”, he added.

Tibagwa acknowledged being “concerned”, because “11,000 Mozambicans” have arrived in Malawi.

“We will start preparing a contingency plan, but we have no indication that more people will come to Zimbabwe from Mozambique,” he said. However, he admits it “may happen”, and on Thursday instructed his team to “assess the situation in the Mutasa district”.

Tension between the government and opposition has worsened in Mozambique recently, with armed clashes between the defence and security forces and the armed wing of Renamo (the Mozambican National Resistance) and mutual accusations of armed attacks, ambushes, kidnappings and assassinations.

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi has reiterated his willingness to talk with Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, but the latter has made talks conditional on international mediation of the crisis and on taking over the governance of the six provinces where the opposition claims victory in the general elections of 2014.

Source: Lusa