382 Namibians apply for asylum in UK in three months

The British High Commission in Namibia has said that 382 Namibians applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in the first three months of 2023.

In 2016, the UK had 27 asylum seekers from Namibia and in 2022 the number rose to 651.

In an all encompassing interview with Desert Radio, British high commissioner Charles Moore said most Namibians have stacked the UK as an asylum destination because of visa restrictions in countries like China, Russia, Japan, the United States and Venezuela.

The revelation comes after the United Kingdom closed the tap on free-visa entry for Namibian travellers last week, alarmed at the exponential number of asylum seekers.

“So, you can see this unsustainable trend of young Namibians claiming asylum on arrival in the UK, because they didn’t need a visa.On the one hand I am delighted that this has caused a big debate in Namibia. That shows that Namibia cares and shows that we have a strong relationship.

“But at the same time, you have lost visa-free access if you like. You don’t have visa-free access to any of your international partners, the US, China, Russia, Venezuela, Japan. You need visas for all these countries.”

“In a way, the UK was the only country that didn’t need visas and that partly contributed to the number of people claiming asylum in the UK on arrival because there was no other place they could go to without a visa,” Moore said.

He said without incidents of persecution in Namibia, what is apparent is that most people are seeking asylum for economic benefits.

He said there is no reason why Namibians should be claiming asylum in the UK at all, adding that 91% of Namibian asylum claims have been declined since 2018.

With more people running to the UK with all sorts of reasons to get sanctuary, Moore said Namibia is suffering reputational damage as a result.

“I wouldn’t describe it as an asylum problem because asylum shouldn’t be a problem. Asylum is there so that people can seek sanctuary from danger in their own country. So, if they are fleeing war or famine or conflict or persecution, those are the reasons why people legitimately flee and claim asylum. We welcome asylum seekers from wherever they come from.

“The problem comes with the sheer volume of asylum seekers that we have been getting. No Namibians have arrived illegally in the UK. There are no Namibians that are arriving illegally across the English Channel. Namibians have been arriving perfectly legally in the UK and then claiming asylum,” he said.

NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING

In the meantime, international relations ministry executive director Penda Naanda said negotiations are still underway with the British government over the visa issue.

“We are continuing with negotiations with them until the situation is resolved, because as you know when you conduct negotiations, you do so in the best interest of your nationals and this is exactly what we are doing.

“We are trying to conduct these negotiations so that our people are not disadvantaged by this decision. I do not think this is also an attack on Namibians. Every country has a right to make decisions that suit them and so this is their decision,” said Naanda.

He also said the British government has indicated that it has a number of people who are facing the likelihood of deportation after they were denied asylum.

“In as far as we are concerned, if there are Namibians to be deported you have to verify whether they are truly Namibians,” he said.