Lack of funds a hurdle to repatriation

A lack of funds has jeopardised the return of some 40,000 Angolan refugees scheduled to be repatriated from Zambia this year, a senior official told IRIN. The permanent secretary for home affairs, Peter Mumba, said since the UN-coordinated repatriation programme kicked off in June, only 3,000 Angolans had returned home. About 180,000 Angolan refugees reside in Zambia, the highest number of Angolans living outside their country. "We had hoped that by the end of 2004 we could have repatriated 40,000 refugees, but it looks as if were overly ambitious and will now have to revisit our goals," said Mumba. Zambian and Angolan interior ministers, who met on Monday in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, acknowledged the "limited capacity" of their local authorities and the implementing partners. "Angola is currently attempting to resettle about 4 million IDPs [internally displaced persons], which is a great challenge. They are doing so with very little resources, and so it would be even more difficult for the authorities to factor in an additional 40,000 refugees during this year," Mumba explained. The lack of funds for food aid has negatively affected the ability of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to support returnees. Refugees depend on WFP food rations not only in transit, but also after they have returned to their areas of origin or resettlement. The UN food agency has received US $63 million out of a US $107 million appeal to help resettle IDPs and assist refugees once they have crossed the border. "Angola's absorption capacity is also seriously compromised. What is needed now is to take a look at what is reasonably achievable until the end of the year - it is far better to ensure that a smaller number of people return to conditions which are favourable," Mumba said. The tripartite commission - Angola, Zambia and UN High Commissioner for Refugees - will meet in September to address some of these obstacles and review the goals of the repatriation effort.