Concern over spontaneous returns

Hundreds of Angolan refugees, eager to return to their home country now that peace prevails, have left a refugee settlement in Zambia to begin the long journey home under their own steam. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Zambia confirmed that Angolan refugees had left the Mayukwayukwa camp in the past several days. UNHCR spokesman Kelvin Shimo told IRIN the refugees were currently in the Lukulu district, near the Zambian border, en-route to Angola. "UNHCR and government have since sent a mission to the district to investigate the matter and take the necessary action. We were told about 500 or so had left the Mayukwayukwa camp," he said. "I also wish to underline that the few hundred Angolan refugees who left Mayukwayukwa settlement spontaneously, did not do so due to hunger or any other reason, except their desire to return to Angola, in view of the peace currently prevailing in that country," Shimo added. He explained that UNHCR had launched a voluntary repatriation programme on 11 July this year, which was being conducted "in a phased manner and would take about three years". "We started with Mahebe in north west Zambia, and the [repatriation] exercise is planned to commence in Mayukwayukwa in October this year," Shimo explained. With regard to the hundreds of refugees who had left Mayukwayukwa spontaneously, Shimo said: "While UNHCR appreciates the strong desire of the refugees to return home, the [repatriation] exercise has to be conducted in a systematic and phased manner to ensure that the refugees return home in dignity and safety, and in accordance with the absorption capacity in Angola." In terms of the norms required for a repatriation exercise, UNHCR had to be assured that returning refugees could be accommodated in minimum conditions in Angola. "We cannot just send one whole wave of refugees at once - we have to liaise with our office on that side regarding the numbers [of refugees] they are ready to receive at the time. As UNHCR, we assist refugees in going to areas which are certified safe to return to, and where minimum requirements for food, security, education, health, water and sanitation are in place, to help the refugees begin a new life," Shimo said. Refugees should therefore "not leave the camps spontaneously - this is our appeal - as this will create unnecessary difficulties in terms of logistics and so on". Since the launch of the voluntary repatriation exercise UNHCR had repatriated 12,056 Angolan refugees and intended repatriating a total of 20,000 from Zambia this year.