The pre-dawn police operation unsettles Osire

Police and immigration officials arrived at a quarantine area about two kilometres from the Osire Refugee Settlement at around 01:00 on 17 August, where they encountered a security guard. They allegedly took his phone to prevent him from alerting residents.

At about 05:00, while much of the settlement was still asleep, the officials reportedly began moving from house to house, knocking on doors and asking residents to produce documents confirming their refugee or immigration status.

Refugees interviewed by Namibian Sun at Osire this week said the officials initially checked houses individually before dividing into teams to cover the settlement’s eight residential blocks.

By the end of the operation, at least 35 people had reportedly been taken from Osire to Otjiwarongo. They allegedly included newcomers whose asylum applications had not yet been processed, people awaiting decisions or appeal hearings and others whose applications had been rejected years earlier.

Women and children taken during the operation were reportedly returned to Osire later that afternoon, while some of the men remained in custody.

The operation has left residents questioning whether officials adequately distinguished between rejected applicants who had exhausted the asylum process and people whose interviews, applications or appeals were still pending.

Osire is situated in the Otjozondjupa Region, about 225 kilometres north of Windhoek. Established in 1992 to accommodate people fleeing the Angolan civil war, it later became Namibia’s principal settlement for refugees and asylum seekers from countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

People seeking asylum in Namibia must report to immigration, police, or other relevant authorities and apply for protection through the Home Affairs Ministry. Applicants may be referred to Osire and issued temporary documents while they are interviewed, and their claims are considered. Those whose applications are unsuccessful may appeal.

Namibia’s refugee law allows the government to require refugees and asylum seekers to live in a designated settlement. Some receive permission to live elsewhere, but most reside at Osire.

Community approaches LAC

A memorandum dated 5 September from the Osire refugee community to the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) alleges that the operation was not limited to rejected applicants who had remained in Namibia beyond their 90-day departure periods.

The community claims newcomers awaiting their first interviews, applicants who had not received decisions and asylum seekers waiting for appeal hearings were also taken.

Some affected people had lived in Osire for 10, 15, or 20 years while their documentation or immigration cases remained unresolved, according to a refugee source.

The memorandum further alleges that some detainees remained in custody for more than two weeks under poor conditions and without sufficient food. Namibian Sun has not independently verified these claims.

Residents want the authorities to clarify the position of people whose applications and appeals have remained pending for extended periods, as well as rejected applicants who were given 90 or 180 days to leave but remained in Namibia.

Arrests extend to Otjiwarongo

Congolese refugee Carlos Bangoro, whose cousin was among those detained, said the operation also affected foreign nationals living in Otjiwarongo.

Bangoro said between 40 and 50 Congolese nationals were initially arrested in the town, with some later released after producing valid documents.

He said 16 people — 15 men and one woman — remained in the Otjiwarongo police holding cells when he spoke to Namibian Sun on Tuesday.

According to Bangoro, the detainees included people whose applications had been finally rejected, asylum seekers with pending cases or appeals and individuals facing family-related documentation complications.

Some rejected applicants had reportedly been given 90 or 180 days to leave Namibia, while others maintained that their cases were still before the appeal process.

Bangoro, who said he had also lodged an appeal and was awaiting a decision, claimed some asylum cases remained unresolved for years.

Families of those detained were particularly concerned about the lack of information on how long their relatives would remain in custody, whether they would be released or whether deportation proceedings were being considered.

A previous Namibian Sun report said more than 60 foreign nationals were arrested during the broader immigration operation in Otjiwarongo.

Otjozondjupa police spokesperson Senior Inspector Maureen Mbeha previously confirmed that the immigration operation was of a significant magnitude.

She said those arrested were being held in police custody, but said questions about their immigration status and further processing should be directed to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security and the relevant immigration authorities.

Questions were sent to the ministry on Monday about the operation, the allegation concerning the security guard’s phone, the categories of people arrested and the number still being detained.

The ministry had not responded by the time of publication.