Refugees Demand Compensation in Zambia after Xenophobic Attacks

Refugees are lobbying the Zambian government for speedy compensation after suffering attacks at the hands of xenophobic mobs, according to Anadolu Agency. Xenophobia is on the rise in Zambia due to a stagnant economy and ritualized killings, and many suspect that foreigners are behind the murders. Zambia has accepted an influx of refugees from neighboring countries undergoing political and economic turmoil.

Refugees are lobbying the Zambian government for speedy compensation after suffering attacks at the hands of xenophobic mobs, according to Anadolu Agency. Xenophobia is on the rise in Zambia due to a stagnant economy and ritualized killings, and many suspect that foreigners are behind the murders. Zambia has accepted an influx of refugees from neighboring countries undergoing political and economic turmoil.

The issue of xenophobia in Europe has gained widespread media attention as refugees from the Middle East and Africa seek asylum, but few news agencies are discussing the growing distrust of foreigners throughout parts of Africa. In Zambia’s case, rising attacks on foreigners are bad to the point where officials have promised to compensate victims, but many refugees are frustrated by the slow process.

Although the government seeks to remedy the situation through compensation, authorities are doing little to provide adequate protection for refugees and minorities. Many foreigners have reported their shops and businesses ransacked by young men and unruly mobs.

Rwandans in particular are the largest minority group in Zambia and have been blamed for the deaths of numerous people murdered in a ritualized fashion that included the removal of body parts, notes BBC. Many Rwandans settled in Zambia to escape the 1994 genocide in their home country and many of them chose to stay because of Zambia’s lower tax rates.

Discrimination against Rwandans has been rare throughout the decades, but recent years have seen a growing hostility toward anyone who is not Zambian. One of the more horrific incidents took place in April 2016, when two Zambians were burned alive in the capital of Lusaka by a mob angered by the presence of foreigners.

Mob violence took place over the course of two days, as Rwandan shops and businesses were destroyed, and over 250 people were arrested. Rwandans and other outsiders are taking the blame for societal ills, which is symptomatic of a struggling economy that is not providing high living standards to the public.

Ritual killing is a primary factor motivating xenophobia, but the heart of the problem is job competition among locals and new arrivals, especially as Zambia contends with rising unemployment. The same can be said of other emerging African economies that are struggling under a low-priced commodity market, a downtrodden world economy, and weaker demand from China.

Zambia is a copper-producing economy, which has suffered through unfavorable market conditions, and the manufacturing sector is not developed enough to provide a surplus of jobs. The good news is that Zambia has focused on developing its agriculture sector and infrastructure base, among other reforms.

Further, Zambia has exported energy to neighboring countries, providing a steady income stream that could prove to be another means of diversification away from commodities. Zambia remains in a better position when compared to other African economies, but reform efforts will be a long-term process. In the meantime, the government must find a way to protect minorities as the economy gains steady traction.