By Seleoe Nonyane
Violence related to Famo music gangs and large-scale development projects such as the construction of Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) often lead to internally displaced persons (IDPs), an assessment conducted by the Home Affairs Department has revealed.
The assessment was undertaken with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The findings were released on Friday in Maseru by the Home Affairs Department refugee liaison officer, Nthatisi Thabane, during the IOM’s dissemination of study findings on IDPs and the impact of Covid-19 on the livelihoods of migrants in Lesotho.
Thabane indicated that before the assessment, the country did not have a baseline of IDPs and it was only in 2020 that the government requested the African Union to assist with a study into the state of IDPs.
Such people often move to hard-to-reach areas when they are internally displaced, she noted.
“Therefore, it is very difficult to find them when humanitarian assistance is offered,” she said.
The objective of the study was to collect and analyse information on the state of IDPs and associated risks based on the magnitude of issues affecting them.
