WINDHOEK, Sept. 22 — Namibia said Tuesday that it will continue working with Angola and other stakeholders to address the movement of people across their shared border, including Angolan women and children who have entered Namibia amid drought conditions.
The Namibian Ministry of International Relations and Trade said the movement of people across the Namibia-Angola border was a matter of mutual interest and concern requiring close cooperation and coordination between the two countries.
The ministry was responding to a report published by Amnesty International on Sept. 2 concerning Angolan women and children reportedly displaced by drought into Namibia.
Namibia said it remained committed to pursuing a “lawful, humane, durable and dignified” approach to the situation involving suspected Angolan women and children found in the streets of Namibian towns.
It said the matter was being addressed in consultation with the Angolan government and other relevant stakeholders, guided by the principles of sovereignty, good-neighborliness, regional cooperation and the longstanding ties between the two countries.
According to the ministry, the management of international migration is conducted in accordance with its Constitution, immigration laws and international and regional obligations.
These obligations include protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, safeguarding the rights and welfare of women and children, preserving family unity and ensuring access to essential basic services for people within Namibian territory, it added.
The ministry said it was committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all people in Namibia while addressing humanitarian concerns in a lawful and collaborative manner.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
