Over 100 families at Osire Refugee Camp have not received financial aid from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since January 2025, despite being registered and eligible for assistance.

Refugees still residing in the camp continue to endure difficult living conditions, including food shortages, while individuals who have been resettled abroad are reportedly still listed as beneficiaries and receiving assistance.

The situation has raised concerns about the misallocation of aid resources. 

What began as a hopeful shift from food parcels to a modern, cash-based system has turned into a crisis at Osire Refugee Camp.

Through the Maris MTC mobile money platform, refugees were supposed to receive direct financial support, yet about 111 families say they haven’t received a single payment since January 2025, despite meeting all requirements.

Refugee representative Victor Afande said repeated attempts to clarify the issue with the UNHCR have yielded no results.

He said the lack of progress has driven some young people and women to desperate measures, taking up cheap labour or even turning to prostitution to survive.

As new arrivals continue to pour into the camp, conditions are worsening, and refugees are now pleading with the Namibian government to intervene, citing UNHCR's delayed response amid growing humanitarian concerns.

Afande also questioned the integrity of the aid system, revealing that some individuals resettled abroad still appear on beneficiary lists, raising doubts over who is truly receiving the funds meant for those still struggling at Osire.

"How can someone who is in America, not even a refugee in Namibia, be a beneficiary of Mari's money? All refugees who are resettled receive citizenship in their new country and cease to be considered refugees in Namibia; therefore, how can a person who returned one or two years ago still appear on the Maris beneficiary list? While we who are here are suffering and don't have anything to eat, we are starving of hunger. And I send these names via email to the inspector general in Geneva."

UNHCR's External Relations Officer Jan De Bisschop confirmed that not all refugees in Namibia are receiving cash assistance due to limited funding.

In an email, De Bisschop stated that the agency explained that reduced global and local resources have forced it to end blanket cash distributions and introduce strict eligibility criteria.

Currently, support is only provided to refugees who are registered and active in the UNHCR database, those who consistently collected food assistance throughout 2024, and newly arrived families living in the Osire Refugee Settlement who have formally requested help.

The agency says the new system ensures that families with the greatest and most urgent needs continue to receive assistance despite the funding shortfall.

Afande says this policy contradicts the fundamental criteria of refugee status.

"You must be a recognised refugee, and you must not have been involved in war crimes or crimes against humanity. With that criterion, you are eligible to receive the Maris money; only those who do not meet these requirements are not eligible."

Regarding individuals residing outside the Osire Refugee Settlement but still appearing on the UNHCR beneficiary list, UNHCR clarified that they remain eligible for cash assistance if they consistently collected food rations in 2024, indicating ongoing need regardless of their current residence. 

If only some members of a household have been resettled, the registration group number stays active, and only the remaining active members receive assistance.

In frustration, refugees put together their money to attend a meeting with UNHCR representatives at the UN Plaza in Windhoek.

However, just as that meeting was to begin, the UNHCR abruptly cancelled the session, citing the uninvited presence of the media. 

The decision left many attendees disheartened, as several said they had spent their last money on transport to attend the gathering.

After reaching out to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, it was indicated that they will respond in due course.