What is Tongogara Refugee Camp?

BY STEVE EPHRAEM

TONGOGARA Refugee Camp is a Government institution under the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. The camp was established during the early 1980s to accommodate Mozambican refugees and asylum seekers who were fleeing the Frelimo-Renamo conflicts.

At the height of the Mozambican crisis, the camp hosted in excess of 50,000 persons. However, the camp was then closed in 1994 following the successful implementation of the 1992 Rome Agreement, which paved the way for the voluntary repatriation of Mozambican refugees.

The camp was then reopened in 1998 following the influx of persons seeking international protection from the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.

Since then, the camp has become a cosmopolitan village, providing a haven to persons from different parts of Africa. It was established in terms of General Notice 252 of 1999, read together with Section 12 (1) of the Refugees Act.

Tongogara Refugee Camp is under the management of the Department of Social Welfare, in partnership with development organisations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), World Vision, Terre des Hommes (TDH), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and others.

Currently, the camp has 15,151 biometrically registered persons.