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Hundreds of refugees in the Maratane Centre in the northern province of Nampula have spoken out against the lack of soap and oil, which have not been distributed for seven months. The government has acknowledged the problem and called for dialogue.
Each family is entitled to nine kilograms of corn and beans, half a litre of cooking oil and a bar of soap per month. But these last two products have not been distributed for seven months now, the Maratane Centre refugees complain.
The situation sparked an uprising and led hundreds of refugees, mostly women, to protest on Wednesday in front of the centre’s administration building to demand clarification from government officials and representatives of the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“We only get corn and beans, which in our land we never ate,” says Bahaate Antuany. The president of the Maratane Women’s Refugee Association has also said that children were contracting diseases.
According to Antuany, the international organisations that support the centre have already said that they do not have funds to purchase the products. “WFP and UNHCR have said that they have no money, but is it possible to eat for six months without oil? Without washing clothes?” Antuany demanded.
Refugees have said that they will refuse to receive donations until oil and soap arrive. “UNHCR provides one-year funding, from January to December. Where was that money spent?” Antuany asked.
Fatuma Rixaza, a refugee in the Maratane Centre, complains of another problem. “There are children in the schools who have not received sanitary pads for five months,” she complains.
“Without dialogue there is no consensus”
Mozambican government administrator of the Maratane Refugee Centre, António Luís Gonzaga, acknowledges the problem and calls for dialogue. “We will call the head of UNHCR’s office again, and have a peaceful conversation with the head of WFP, and we will understand each other. Without dialogue there is no consensus,” he says.
The refugees protest was peaceful and without violence, but police were present and reinforcements were requested to ensure order and prevent possible outbreaks of violence.
Located 25 kilometres from the northern city of Nampula, the Maratane Refugee Centre is the first and largest refugee centre in Mozambique and accommodates foreign citizens who have fled from countries in conflict.
It houses more than 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees mainly from the Great Lakes region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Ethiopia.
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