Germany's refugee programme freeze leaves asylum-seekers stranded in Kenya

Africanews (in English)

Germany's refugee programme freeze leaves asylum-seekers stranded in Kenya  The new coalition of German chancellor Friedrich Merz froze the country's participation in a United Nations refugee resettlement programme.  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/08/11/germanys-refugee-programme-freeze-leaves-asylum-seekers-stranded-in-kenya  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

Transcript

00:00Chester Zamukunda is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

00:05In April 2025, she and her son boarded their flight away from a Kenyan displacement camp.

00:10They were headed to Germany as part of a United Nations program to resettle refugees.

00:15But their travel was cancelled at the last minute

00:17after Germany's new government froze the country's participation in the program.

00:23We felt like we were being saved.

00:26We went to Nairobi and were put up in a good place.

00:30We ate well, we slept well.

00:32Then the bad news came.

00:33Germany has rejected us. We're not going.

00:37The center-right party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

00:40won federal elections in part on a promise to curb immigration.

00:44Those who hoped to join Germany through the UN injured years-long processes

00:48involving medical checks and security interviews.

00:50Germany's decision came as a shock to many.

00:53They told us now that there is an election going on in Germany

00:56that now discontinued your journey.

01:02It was not a good day for all of us.

01:06So you find everyone fall sick.

01:10And now other people like who has pressure,

01:14their pressure was now coming up very high.

01:18So now people are...

01:21Until even the food was almost to be left,

01:23no one who can even eat the food.

01:25Germany's decision has affected asylum seekers in many countries,

01:29including people from the DRC, South Sudan and Afghanistan.

01:32Some of them are now taking legal action,

01:34and over 50 families and individuals are reportedly suing the German government.

01:38We are actually confronted with lots of individuals

01:45who have legal binding acceptances to get to Germany,

01:51and the German new government not only closes their eyes to the individual situation,

02:01but they are closing their eyes to the law.

02:03Altogether, 183 refugees were flown back from Nairobi to refugee camps in April,

02:09according to the UN Agency for Refugees.

Category

Transcript

Recommended