The government of Swaziland on Tuesday expelled all refugees from the country after a dispute with them over their monthly assistance.
The decision came after consultations between the representatives of the refugees; the home affairs minister, Prince Sobandla; and officials of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) failed to solve a standoff that had been going on for more than a month.
The government did not give any indication as to where the refugees would go, but their next destination might be South Africa before they are sent to countries of their choice.
The 65 refugees, including women and children, are from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia.
The situation started to deteriorate when the refugees abandoned their camp at Malindza, 67 kilometres east of the capital of Mbabane about a month ago and marched to the Ministry of Home Affairs, where they demanded to have an audience with the minister.
They complained that since the closure of the UNHCR offices in the country two and half years ago, their monthly allowances had been stopped, leaving them with nothing to live on.
The refugees were arrested, and after two weeks in cells at a police station, they were transferred to a maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Mbabane.
As pressure mounted from civic organisations within Swaziland and outside the country, the minister of home affairs invited officials from the UNHCR in Pretoria to help arbitrate the matter.
However, on Thursday, the negotiations broke down, paving the way for the expulsion of the refugees.
On Tuesday, the refuges were taken from the prison to the Ministry of Home Affairs, where they were served with letters withdrawing their privileges and told to leave the country. – Sapa-DPA