The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator, Hopolang Phororo, is adamant that the UN has fully accounted for all assistance provided to Namibian exiles during the 1989 repatriation process and has formally closed the chapter.
Phororo said the UN addressed the issue with both the government and representatives of the former exiles and refugees and has since exhausted its involvement.
The UN pronounced itself following demands by a group of former exiles and refugees who claim that the government owes them funds allegedly provided by the United Nations for their benefit.
Since October last year, the group has been camping outside the Swapo Party headquarters, calling for clarity and finality regarding the alleged funds.
The funds they claim were meant to support them during their repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration process.
The UN's High Commissioner for Refugees funded the repatriation and reintegration support for exiles in 1989, a process the UN says was voluntary.
The UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo explained that donor-funded assistance for repatriation and reintegration was properly administered at the time, with all relevant files and processes closed.
She stressed that more than 3 decades later, the matter no longer falls within the mandate of the UN, as the required support was duly rendered.
Any remaining or related concerns, she added, now fall under the responsibility of the Namibian government.
"The return assistance, according to the returnees at that time, was what the UN had available, as received from donors, and was accounted for back to the office and to donors in the same year, and that file and assistance process was closed. During the meetings and roundtables held since 2017, the United Nations in Namibia has listened carefully to the concerns raised, responded in writing and during meetings to the main issues presented, shared available documentation, and coordinated with government authorities to support clarification of the matters raised by the former Namibian returnees," clarified Phororo.
The representative of the demonstrators, Aina Angula, called for a resolution and demanded transparency and proper documentation regarding the alleged UN funds they claim are owed to them and the resettlement process.
Swapo Party Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa says there is no evidence to support allegations that the party owes them.
She says the party's comprehensive financial records, including income and expenditure statements, show no indication that such funds were received in 1989 for distribution to exiles.
"Traced back from the respective tenures of all my predecessors, a thorough review of these documents has revealed no internal evidence supporting the claims raised by the demonstrators. In the spirit of transparency and fairness, we have therefore engaged the United Nations directly, trusting that their involvement will provide the authoritative insight needed to address these long-standing issues without fear or favour."
The group was further advised to approach the UN archives and records for any documentation.