Zambia braces for a Zimbabwean exodus
Serious concern is mounting in Zambia that a wave of Zimbabwean immigrants could cross the border escaping worsening political violence in the aftermath of the country's presidential run-off election at the end of June.
“There has been a lot of pre-election systematic movement of Zimbabweans into Zambia, but we may have something like one-third of Zimbabwean immigrants crossing into Zambia to seek asylum,” said Joseph Chilengi, executive director of the Africa Internally Displaced Persons' Voice, (Africa IDP Voice) a lobby group championing the rights of displaced persons. “Zambia seems to be the only country in the region that appears to be offering a conducive environment for asylum at the moment”.
