Regional immigration officer in charge of western region, Mr Regies Munyaradzi told The Chronicle that a total of 172 Democratic Republic of Congo nationals are being held at Maitengwe Border Post in Bulilima District after they surrendered themselves at the border seeking asylum in the country.
The DRC nationals will be taken to a holding camp in Waterfalls, Harare for a determination on whether or not they will be granted asylum. Said Munyaradzi:
We received a group of about 172 DRC nationals who comprised both adults and children on Saturday. They are currently housed at Maitengwe Border Post and they are awaiting transportation to Waterfalls in Harare where they will be further referred to Tongogara Refugee Camp. It seems these refugees had been staying at a holding camp in Botswana for some time but they left and proceeded to Zimbabwe. They then handed themselves over to officers at Maitengwe Border Post. We have interviewed all the refugees to ascertain that they are indeed foreigners and what is left is for them to be transported.
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