Small-Scale Business Operators Association of Malawi has described calls by some human rights watch dogs to the Malawi government to reconsider its decision to relocate refugees and asylum seekers back to Dzaleka refugee camp as uncalled for and baseless.

Recently, the ministry of Homeland Security issued a press statement which set April 15, 2023 as deadline for refugees’ relocation to Dzaleka camp, a development which led to calls by both local and international human rights watch dogs, including UN Refugee Agency in Malawi for Malawi government authorities to reconsider the decision.

But a statement signed by Small Scale Business Operators secretary general Tennyson Mulimbula, has reminded the human rights watch dogs that the government of Malawi is only implementing the dictates of the constitution of the Republic of Malawi and the international charter regarding how Malawi as a sovereign state can manage the issues concerning the refugees and asylum seekers.

Reads part of the statement: “It is high time for the human rights watch dogs they should have considered how the influx of illegal economic refugees and asylum seekers has negatively riddled the country’s security, culture and economy.

“We would like to warn the so-called human rights watch dogs that our Association has the full knowledge about the money which they have corruptly pocketed from the refugees and asylum seekers in exchange of their naked insubstantive arguments.”

Dzaleka refugee camp is presently accommodating nearly 50,000 people but the camp was originally established to accommodate up to 12,000 refugees.