IFRC to help refugee-hosting communities

The presence of more than 80,000 Angolan and Congolese refugees in the western province of Bas Congo could have “dire consequences” for both the refugees and the local population, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said yesterday. “Besides the clear vulnerability of the refugees, their presence in marginal, semi-arid villages has put extreme pressure on the coping mechanisms of the local population. We must intervene to help both,” IFRC representative Sally Miller was quoted as saying in a statement received by IRIN. Conflicts in Congo-Brazzaville and Angola have caused Bas Congo’s refugee population to soar by 40,000 in the past eight weeks alone, the statement said. Bas-Congo itself was the scene of heavy fighting between August-October 1998. Homes, schools, water supplies, health-care facilities and businesses were damaged or destroyed, while crops were ruined and seeds were looted. In response to the situation, IFRC is planning to expand its operations in the province’s refugee-hosting communities. Since February, the IFRC with the local Red Cross has been helping to cover the essential needs of about 9,000 recently-arrived Angolans, mostly women and children, in the town of Songolo until a refugee camp is established for them, the statement added.