TNAG-1542-FCO40-2106-United-Nations-High-Commissioner-for-Refugees-(UNHCR)-Execut-1986 — Page 178

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3.

(2) to (6) As explained above, the UNDP Mission had only recently (within the past few weeks) been asked to step in officialy. However, we have now heard that the Government of Malawi have got cold feet over the whole idea of shifting the "refugees" and we have heard from UNDP that the status quo will remain. The Malawi Government are hoping that the Malawi Red Cross will be able fully to assess the situation next month. Until they have done so, it is difficult to comment further.

3.

(7) and (8) The refugees in Malawi have tended to drift across the border to get away from the fighting between FRELIMO and RENAMO. They have not congregated in camps but have erected make- shift villages along the border. They themselves have not been particularly harassed either by the Malawi Government or by Mozambicans. They are secure in Malawi and, although some Mozambican Ministers have claimed that these villages are RENAMO bases, there is little real evidence to suggest that this is the case.

4.

Finally, in our conversations with UNDP, we have been given to understand that the Proposed Allocation/Projection of Usg 100,000 for 1986 for multipurpose assistance in respect of Malawi has been doubled to US$ 200,000. However, none of this can apparently be disbursed unless and until they are officially requested to act by the Malawi Government and the Mozambicans are officially recognised as "refugees".

PS.

Звально выйскій,

Rous

Rony Presxgle

usc&t

RE Pringle

Second Secretary (Chancery)

Since this was typed, the High Commissioner has talked to Kakhobwe, Secretary to the President and Cabinet about Mozambique. He said that they had wanted to classify the Mozambicans who had crossed the border as refugees, but the President would not agree: according to him they were not refugees, but people visiting their families in Malawi. Kakhobwe said that was the reason for backtracking on resettlement. He wondered if this position could be maintained: it was all very well to say that people just over the border were "visiting their families", but increasingly the Mozambicans coming into Malawi were from areas miles from the border, with no family connection with Malawi whatsoever.

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CONFIDENTIAL