Malawi orders thousands of refugees to return to overcrowded camp

Despite years of integration, the gov’t claims refugees could pose a threat to national security by living with locals.

The Malawian government has ordered thousands of long-integrated refugees to return to its sole but badly overcrowded refugee camp, in a controversial move that many have vowed to resist. The UN estimates there are around 2,000 refugees residing outside the camp at Dzaleka, about 40 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital Lilongwe. Many have lived there for years, setting up businesses in the town or marrying Malawians and having children with them.