- Osire
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Osire is a refugee camp in central Namibia, situated 200 km north of the capital Windhoek on the main road C30 from Gobabis to Otjiwarongo. Established in 1992 the refugee population of Osire stood at 6.500 in 2010 after having reached a peak of 20.000 in 1998. The majority (75%) of current[update] refugees came from Angola, and a sizeable portion from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1]
The camp used to be a detention centre during the South African rule over Namibian territory.[2] Throughout its existence as refugee camp maltreatment of inhabitants, retaliation, harassment[2] and riots[3] have been reported. In 2009 a group of 41 people fled the camp with the help of a local Human Rights organisation after allegedly having received death threats. This group left Namibia via the Mamuno Border Post but was refused entry to Botswana and as a result stayed in No Man's Land between Namibia and Botswana[4] for three months until being arrested by Botswana authorities and deported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[5]
References
- ^ New Era 19 June 2008: Spotlight Falls on Osire Refugees, by Petronella Sibenene
- ^ a b USCRI Trapped in Osire Refugee Camp
- ^ Medilinkz 20 Oct 2003: NAMIBIA: Unrest at Osire refugee camp
- ^ Namibia National Society for Human Rights Government washes hands off 41 refugees
- ^ The Namibian 9 Oct 2009: Botswana to deport runaway refugees, by Nangula Shejavali
Categories:- Namibia geography stubs
- Populated places in Namibia
- Otjozondjupa Region
- Refugee camps
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