Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Peya Mushelenga said the Namibian Government and Swapo Party have never received funds from the United Nations (UN) meant for former freedom fighters who were repatriated in 1989.

A media statement Mushelenga issued on Wednesday, said that a group of Namibian former freedom fighters claimed that an assistance package totalling US.dollars 21 705 640 was allegedly allocated to them from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help them re-integrate, rehabilitate and reconstruct their livelihoods after independence. They also claim to have only received US.dollars 10 each.

Mushelenga said the group felt that the amount given was insufficient as their family members were tortured, killed and humiliated during the liberation war. They thus demanded that UNHCR explain why it failed to assist returnees to re-integrate into society.

“The group further claimed that not all the required processes have been fulfilled regarding returning refugees from exile. These were the repatriation, rehabilitation and resettlement, of which only the repatriation part was fulfilled for them since they came back from exile in 1989, according to the group,” said Mushelenga.

He added that from 2017 till present, the group has been in contact with UN office in Windhoek. Since then, the UN office has made efforts to explain the situation and the position concerning the matter, and on 14 August 2017, UNHCR indicated that in its operations, funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year are returned to its headquarters in Geneva for other operations in subsequent fiscal years. Therefore, in the case of Namibian repatriations there were no surplus funds, and the UN office in Windhoek dismissed the claims that there were extra arrangements as alleged by the group.

“The latest communication by the UN resident coordinator dated 17 November 2021 indicates that the group is requesting for a meeting and alleged that the UN has made funds available to Government and Swapo for them to be assisted but to no avail. It is against this background that Government wishes to state categorically clear that it was not involved in the roll-out of the assistance packages and has not received any funds or any goods from UN towards the re-integration of the returnees,” stated Mushelenga.

He further advised the group to approach the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs which was established to address the plight of veterans of the liberation struggle.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency