The mortality rate among Angolan refugees in Kisenge, Kasai Oriental province, is rising with two deaths now being reported every day, UNHCR said in its latest update on the Great Lakes region. A UNHCR mission that travelled to the area on 31 January found that the number of people hospitalised for malnutrition had increased drastically, the report said. There are some 40,000 Angolan refugees in Kisenge, most of whom arrived in mid-1998 with the outbreak of fresh hostilities between UNITA and the Angolan army. UNHCR made two emergency food purchases for the refugees last year and seasonal work had provided refugees with some income. However, current rains have eliminated that work and no regular supply of food for the refugees has been established to date, the report said. At UNHCR’s request, MSF has established therapeutic and supplementary feeding facilities at the site, it added.
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