Two weeks of tracking down of undocumented immigrants in the Zambian capital and its surroundings ended last weekend. The police announced that more than 350 illegal immigrants, over half being Burundians, were extradited to their country of origin.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The raid was dubbed « Clean Up » by the Zambian police. It was carried out mainly in Lusaka, the capital, as well as in small towns located not far from the Zambian capital.

“The Immigration Department has arrested a total of 357 suspected illegal immigrants of different nationalities, pending further investigation and prosecution following a clean-up operation since September 4, 2024, in different parts of Lusaka,” a police statement said, noting that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Anti-Narcotics Police and the Ministry of Health as well as the Drug Enforcement Commission and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre. According to the police, Burundians make up the majority of those arrested, numbering 207. There are also Congolese, Rwandans, Tanzanians, Malawians, Eritreans, Zimbabweans, Indians, Egyptians, Ugandans, Pakistanis, Lebanese and others claiming to be Zambian citizens.

Illegal immigrants sent home

More than 200 illegal immigrants were then expelled from the country as part of this large-scale operation.

The public relations department of the immigration department indicates that those expelled are « 198 Burundians, 34 Congolese, 16 Tanzanians, 12 Rwandans and 3 Ugandans ».

Immigration explains that the majority of them were apprehended during the joint cleaning operation conducted in different districts of Lusaka. « More than 280 people were detained for various offences under immigration legislation », adds the Zambian immigration services.

« Most of the suspects should normally have been prosecuted, but the department decided to expel them from the country in order to relieve the congestion in the penitentiary houses where they were being held », reassures the Zambian police.

“The department still keeps the 40 bicycles abandoned by their owners who fled during the joint cleaning operation,” she said.

Refugees are counted among the prisoners.

A source in Meheba camp says that about ten refugees from this camp are in detention for lack or expiration of authorization permits to leave the camp. “They are with other detainees who come from other refugee camps. Thank God, they were not turned back because they were identified as refugees,” reassures our source.

Administrative officials and community leaders in Meheba camp discourage those who would like to go out without permission to avoid similar cases.

Yet, refugees deplore that they struggle to obtain such documents or that applications are rejected without valid reasons while most of them want to go and trade in urban centers to earn a living.

Zambia is home to over 100,000 refugees (including over 10,000 Burundians) spread across Mantapala, Meheba and Mayukwayukwa camps, as well as urban refugees in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.

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Undocumented immigrants including Burundian nationals being turned back by Zambian services, DR