It has been four years since Shegow landed in Nepal. In 2006, he paid a hefty sum to traffickers for a life in a developed country, packed his bags and boarded a flight, which he thought would land in Naples, Italy. But the journey ended in Nepal.[break]
“It’s not Italy. It’s Nepal now,” Shegow said as he sat down with a cup of tea and cigarette in one of the teashops in Kathmandu.
And Shegow is one of the 71 Somalians, including 28 children, who have landed in Nepal and are now living a false dream. They find themselves in an undestined territory, do not hold legal status in the country, and find themselves in a limbo.
While the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has given them the status of urban refugees, Nepal Government categorizes them as illegal. And mashed between policies and politics, the Somlians are restless for a solution.
“How many times you’re going to take our interview?” said Shegow, a little agitated. He said that he is “not angry but frustrated” with the worthless wait.
And it seems like an indefinite wait.
During the day and mostly in the evenings, Somali men spend time sitting outside the teashop, sipping cups of tea and smoking cigarettes. They talk about Somalia, their families back home, politics, sports, and the solution to their situation.
Mahad Hassan, who was supposed to land in Sweden in 2007 and is now in Nepal, said that “the whole situation is stuck.”
Hassan had paid US$4,500 to go to Sweden but was abandoned in a hotel in the tourist district of Thamel by smugglers. The only times he heard of Nepal was during the BBC newscasts and thus had no knowledge whatsoever of the country where he is now.
But in the past three years, he, along with other Somalis, have tried to adapt into the Nepali society, which is in no way similar to their culture. In these years, Somalis like Hassan and Shegow have learned to speak Nepali, made some Nepali friends, and enjoy local festivals like Dashain and Tihar.
“But it’s very difficult to pass time,” Hassan said. “Same routine, same place, same situation.”
He then talked about their options: repatriation, integration and resettlement. But at this point of time, only the latter one seems feasible.
Stephane Jaquemet, Country Representative of UNHCR in Nepal, said repatriation is not possible due to the deteriorating crisis in Somalia and stressed on resettlement. UNHCR has thus so far helped resettle 14 Somalis from Nepal, most of them in the United States.
However, the major problem, as Jaquemet said, is the US$6 daily penalty imposed by the Nepal Government on Somalis for staying illegally in the country. In past cases, the government has been flexible in waiving the exit fees for the refugees.
“What I’d like to see is an increase in the number of people being considered for waiver,” he expressed his optimism for a viable solution. “Ideally, I don’t think Somalis should remain in Nepal [then].”
In a country already dealing with Bhutanese and Tibetan refugee problems, the country does not have support mechanisms to deal with illegal immigrants and host them in the country, said a high-level source from the Ministry of Home Affairs who did not want to be named. “We cannot afford it,” he said.
And so can’t the Somalis, either. For them, the daily US$6 fee is unfathomable. It is something, Hassan said, would hinder their possibilities of going to a third country.
The UNHCR representative said that the government could be fearful of the fact that if it waives the exit fee for the refugees, the country might see a rise in urban refugees and they could use it as a passage to third countries. In order to curb illegal entry and strengthen its immigration rules, the country has banned on-arrival visa for nationals of 11 countries, mostly African nations like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan.
Jaquemet said that the issue can be resolved through “a progressive approach to resettlement.”
Banking on the dreams of fleeing their home country ravaged by civil war, human smugglers have duped Somalians with the hope of a better future and leaving them helpless. According to UNHCR, Somalians constitute the largest refugee group in the world, after Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2009, fighting displaced 200,000 people in Somalia while 70,000 fled to neighboring countries. But the 71 Somalis in Nepal are far from their home, and though the situation is not a pull factor for returning home, they want to go back for they do not see a future for themselves here. They are not permitted to work legally and sustaining their life with the monthly allowance UNHCR provides them does not meet all of their requirements. The head of the family receives Rs 4,750 per month, the first dependant is entitled to Rs 2,752, and each child receives Rs 2,253. But Shegow said most of it is spent in paying his Rs 6,000 house rent.
But more than financial insecurity, what bothers them is the uncertainty that looms over their future.
However, in some months or years, like for some of their compatriots, Nepal could only be a distant memory for the ones here. As they sat in a group outside the teashop, and while some remained silent fearing consequences, others poured their desperation about paying money to smugglers to get themselves out of Nepal.
And as they meet, greet and talk everyday, amid laughter and moments of silence, it is apparent that what they have been longing for is a place they can call home and a better life.
“I’m happy for the ones who finally made out, and one day it can be me. I’m longing to see that day,” Hassan said.
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