Zimbabwe: Immigration in the Time of Cholera

Filed in archive Africa on December 13, 2008

British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is warning of an influx of immigrants from Zimbabwe, according to London's Daily Telegraph.

Smith says that refugees fleeing the regime of Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe, are buying forged passports in countries bordering Zimbabwe - countries where there are no visa requirements for travel to the UK.

Almost 800 people have died from Cholera in Zimbabwe since it was first reported back in March, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Mugabe government is saying that the outbreak is over. Doctors Without Boards recently told the Agence France Press that cholera outbreaks of the magnitude currently underway in Zimbabwe usually last for several more months. WHO says about 17,000 people have been treated for cholera in Zimbabwe.

Smith's statements have created tension between the Home Office which she overseas and Britain's Foreign Office. There are already estimated to be 60,000 Zimbabweans living in Britain illegally, with another 12,000 seeking asylum including 8,000 who have been granted refuge status.


Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Giorgio Fochesato