By Vincent Gunde
The inua Advocacy, an organization advocating for refugee’s rights in Malawi, has registered its deep disappointment over the old news suddenly published on social media about the Government of Malawi revoking partnership with it in the Dzaleka Refugee Programme.
Social media reports went viral after an article was published and is in circulation in all media platforms that the Government of Malawi beside revoking partnership with Inua Advocacy, it has revoked license of working inside the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa district.
The published reports quoted General Ignacio Maulana, Principal Secretary responsible for Refugees in the Ministry of Homeland Security that Inua Advocacy has been banned from operating an office inside Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
The reports say the Inua Advocacy has been in the forefront accusing the Government of Malawi implementing the forced re-encampment of refugees inside the Camp besides the numerous challenge refugees are meeting at Dzaleka Camp.
“Fears have gripped refugees following the Government of Malawi revoking license for Inua Advocacy operating an office inside the Camp,” reads published social media reports.
Giving his reaction to published social media news, a Refugee Advocate who is also Chief Executive Officer of Inua Advocacy Innocent Magambi, says he and the organization don’t know the motives and incentives for people publishing the old news today sayiing this is anybody’s guess.
Magambi stated that since June, 2021 Inua Advocacy (at the time called Inua Consulting) was a cooperating partner of the Ministry of Homeland Security under the Dzaleka Refugee Programme and as such the organization was taking part in partner’s meetings.
He added that the Inua Advocacy was operating an office inside the Dzaleka Refugee Camp with the primary mandate of supporting the country’ advocacy for refugee right, when in early 2023 the Ministry of Homeland Security decided to implement the forced re-encampment of refugees.
“The re-encampment was implemented in the absence of wide consensus and although an official report by Malawi Human Rights Commission {MHRC) demonstrated that living conditions in the Dzaleka Camp prevents refugees from accessing basic human rights,” said Magambi.
Inua Advocacy was openly against the forced re-encampment plans of the Ministry of Homeland Security and this might be the reason that the Ministry revoked its partnership with the organization.
Since closing their office inside the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Inua Advocacy has been operating outside, in the legitimacy granted to the organization by the Registrar General, Non-Governmental Organization Regulatory Authority {NGORA) and Council for Non-Governmental Organization in Malawi (CONGOMA).
