HRW calls for humane treatment of expelled DRC workers

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has added its voice to a growing chorus of concern over the treatment of Congolese migrant workers in northern Angola. Since early April tens of thousands of migrant workers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been expelled from the diamond-rich Angolan border province of Lunda Norte, often with the use of excessive force, according to HRW. "Congolese migrants returning to the Democratic Republic of Congo describe the abuses and public humiliation they have endured in Angolan towns, such as Luremo and Cafunfo [in Lunda Norte], where Angolan soldiers searching for diamonds have forced them to undergo public strip searches," the international rights group said in a statement on Friday. It added: "The widespread searches included degrading vaginal and anal searches, beatings and the looting of goods. Some of those refusing searches have been raped or arbitrarily detained." Angolan authorities have argued that they are repatriating Congolese and other workers involved in illegal mining. Humanitarian groups have appealed for urgent help for the expelled Congolese, who are in a region where potable water, food and housing are scarce. The expulsion has also led to tensions between the Congolese and refugees who fled during the civil war in Angola and are still in the DRC. In what appeared to be a retaliatory attack last week, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday that an angry crowd of returned Congolese migrants had set fire to two houses belonging to NGOs at a site hosting 1,500 Angolan refugees at Napassa, in the southwestern DRC province of Bandundu. HRW called for an immediate end to the alleged rights abuses, and urged the Angolan authorities "to follow proper legal procedures that respect the rights and dignity of the individual". An estimated 67,000 Congolese migrant workers have been expelled from Angola.