Refugees flee to Zambia

Hundreds of people fleeing fighting between government forces and UNITA rebels in eastern Angola have been crossing into neighbouring Zambia since early September, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A UNHCR official in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, told IRIN on Thursday that 200 refugees had crossed over last month, while so far in October, 500 more had sought refuge from the latest fighting. Most of the refugees, once screened, are being housed at the long-established Meheba centre in western Zambia, which over the years has become home to some 26,000 Angolans. UNHCR is reviewing contingency measures as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, Zambia has also become the country of refugee for some 15,000 people who fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are being assisted with European Union (EU) funding. “As the largest humanitarian aid donor for victims of the grat lakes crisis, the EU, through its European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), has agreed to support UNHCR to the tune of euro 1.5 million (US $1.35 million) to provide assistance for the refugees,” said Joan Pilcher, the EU information officer in Lusaka. She said the funding, which will cover the costs of UNHCR and its implementing partners from June 1999 until the end of the year, also covers contingency planning for an additional 20,000 refugees.