Hundreds more Angolan refugees arrive

Hundreds of Angolan refugees have crossed into neighbouring Zambia in recent days, UNHCR told IRIN on Tuesday. “Since last week Wednesday we have seen 321 Angolan refugees enter Zambia,” Kelvin Shimo UNHCR’s spokesman in Lusaka said. Shimo added that most of the refugees had arrived in Zambezi, in Zambia’s Northwestern province, fleeing fighting in eastern Angola. “We have also heard reports that some of the refugees had come from as far a field as Bailundo (in Angola’s central highlands),” Shimo said. “Because the refugees have had to walk such large distances, they are understandably very weak. But we have put in place enough foodstocks and medicines to take care of them.” He added that once the refugees have been screened, they would be moved to the Maheba refugee camp, which now has a population of 40,000. According to UNHCR there are more than 200,000 Angolan refugees in Zambia.