Namibia: Angolan women and children displaced by drought into Namibia face serious human rights abuses due to a lack of safe and legal migration pathways for individuals forced across borders by natural disasters, Amnesty International reported.According to Amnesty International, the report titled "The Drier It Gets The Longer You Have To Walk, The Deeper You Have To Dig" documents the devastating consequences of recurrent drought in southern Angola. Those displaced into Namibia experience persistent fear of arrest, detention, and deportation, which influences their daily decisions about seeking healthcare and other services. The report calls for Namibian authorities to establish a rights-based approach to migration, ensuring access to basic rights, including registration and documentation.Namibian authorities must establish a rights-based approach to migration, ensuring that people displaced by drought and other natural disasters can access basic rights, including registration and documentation. Tigere C hagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, emphasized that the protection of marginalized Angolans forced to move to Namibia is a human rights crisis demanding international solidarity and legal protection against refoulement.Between May 2024 and May 2026, Amnesty International interviewed 167 individuals, including displaced persons, community leaders, government officials, civil society organization representatives, academics, and UN Country Team members. Despite repeated requests for comment, Namibian government officials had not responded at the time of publication.The report highlights that southern Angola, particularly the provinces of Cunene, Huíla, and Namibe, have been hardest hit by recurring droughts, exacerbated by El Niño. These conditions have undermined traditional pastoral and farming systems, eroded resilience, and forced people to migrate to Namibia in search of safety and essential services. Women and children are disproportionately affected, often undertaking these risky journeys.The report notes that Angolans displaced by drought have limited ways to regularize their stay in Namibia, as current immigration and protection laws do not reflect the realities of climate-driven displacement. Many people cross the border without regular status, seeking food, water, healthcare, and work after droughts destroy livelihoods. In 2026, the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs announced the return of over 1,000 Angolan nationals found without regular immigration status.Amnesty International witnessed Namibian authorities round up about 40 Angolan nationals at a community center and transport them to the border, raising concerns under the prohibition of collective expulsion and the principle of non-refoulement. Angolan children have also been subject to forcible returns without sufficient information on safeguards.The report emphasizes that Namibia's existing immigration framework inadequately addresses the circumstances of drought-displaced individuals. Many lac k documentation, and fear of arrest and deportation shapes daily decisions about seeking services. Amnesty International calls on Namibian authorities to ensure legal protections and conduct individual assessments before deportations.Housing, water, and sanitation conditions for displaced Angolans in northern Namibia fall far short of international standards. Families live in makeshift shelters in overcrowded conditions. Undocumented Angolans face higher fees in hospitals, delaying treatment until illness becomes severe. Amnesty International urges Namibian authorities to honor legal obligations by providing registration and documentation needed to access rights.The report underscores the need for international cooperation and support, highlighting that high-income states have heightened obligations to provide climate finance to countries like Angola and Namibia. Angolan authorities must invest in climate adaptation, drought preparedness, and livelihood protection. Gaps in early warning systems and social protection mechanisms have eroded pastoral and subsistence farming systems, contributing to cross-border movement.Between January and July 2021, over 7,000 Angolans, mainly women and children, crossed into northern Namibia due to severe drought and food insecurity. The true scale of drought-related displacement is unknown due to inadequate data collection systems.