First official refugee returns from Namibia

A group of 150 Angolan refugees arrived in the border town of Katwitwi on Wednesday in Angola's southern province of Kuando Kubango following decades of exile in Namibia, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said. The return marks the launch of the Namibia component of the voluntary repatriation programme, organised by UNHCR in cooperation with the government of Angola and countries of asylum, for the some 400,000 Angolan refugees estimated to be in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Namibia. The 1,000 km journey home will take over three days. After departing Osire camp on 30 June, the convoy travelled to a transit centre in Rundu to clear immigration and customs formalities. On Wednesday the refugees left Rundu for Katwitwi, accompanied by the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs and UNHCR. After a welcome by the governor of Kuando Kubango province, the returned refugees continued on to an overnight transit centre. They will finally complete this stage of the return process with their arrival on Thursday at a reception centre in Caiundo. The returnees will spend their first few days at the reception centre, where they will be provided with accommodation, food, any necessary medical assistance and training sessions on landmine awareness and HIV/AIDS prevention, UNHCR said. Prior to leaving the centre for their home communities in the districts of Caiundo and Menongue, returnees will be given a supply of food rations by the World Food Programme and various non-food items such as blankets, kitchen items and plastic sheeting. Later in the year, they will receive seeds and farming tools to support them in achieving self-sufficiency. Since the launch of the voluntary repatriation operation on 20 June, more than 1,000 refugees have returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zaire and Moxico provinces in Angola. Repatriation is continuing this week from DRC, including convoys on Wednesday to M'banza Congo and Luau, while the first convoy from Zambia, carrying some 500 refugees, is expected to leave Meheba camp for Cazombo in Moxico province on 11 July. Additional movements are also planned for the approximately 18,000 refugees still remaining in Namibia.