17 Aug 2025

Even though the Ministry for International Relations is aware that some citizens of Botswana have sought asylum in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in recent years, the ministry did not possess official or disaggregated statistics regarding the number of such asylum seekers in each of the countries.

Answering a question in Parliament on behalf of the Minister for International Relations on Wednesday, Minister for State President, Mr Moeti Mohwasa said this was due to the fact that asylum matters were handled exclusively by the respective host governments and they had not granted Botswana access to detailed records of asylum applications or outcomes.

He noted that the main reasons noted by asylum seekers from Botswana included gender-based violence, homophobia, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, fears related to ritual murders and concerns over personal safety and other human rights issues.

Mr Mohwasa said the ministry had established a Steering Committee on External Migration, which comprised of relevant stakeholders that dealt with foreign relations, migration and security issues.

He said the Steering Committee, which was at Permanent Secretary level and chaired by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for International Relations, comprised of the Ministry of State President, Ministry of International Relations, Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services.

The minister noted that the committee oversaw a Technical Task Force on External Migration and was made up of experts from the four ministries, while officials from the British High Commission were also invited to the meetings.

He said the Task Force analysed the patterns of external travels, monitored incidents of illegal migration and other activities by Botswana passport holders with a view to consulting with external stakeholders to close the loopholes associated with illegal migration and share insights on effective execution of the strategy.

The minister also said it reported on emerging trends with regards to Batswana external travellers, as well as recommended mitigation strategies.

He noted that addressing the root causes of asylum claims needed a multi-faceted approach with all stakeholders involved.

Mr Mohwasa said the government continued to work toward addressing the root causes that compelled citizens to seek refuge elsewhere, particularly the pressing issue of unemployment among the youth.

Tlokweng MP, Mr Phenyo Segokgo had asked the minister if he was aware of any Botswana citizens who had sought asylum in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Mr Segokgo further asked him to state the reported numbers of such asylum seekers in each country over the past five years, the main reasons they cited for seeking asylum abroad and steps, if any, that the government had taken to address the root causes leading to such asylum claims. ENDS