UNICEF assists displaced from border region

The situation remains tense in Zambia’s Northwestern Province as unknown armed groups from Angola continue terrorising villagers in the border areas around Chavuma, forcing many of them to flee their homes, a UNICEF official told IRIN on Tuesday.

Kiyoshi Nakamitsu, UNICEF’s assistant programme officer, said a joint assessment by UNICEF and the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) of Zambia had, as of 17 June, identified and registered 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from three villages surrounding Chavuma.

The insecurity is a result of an Angolan government offensive against UNITA rebels which has resulted in thousands of Angolan refugees fleeing across the border from UNITA-held areas. UNITA units have been blamed for the looting of homesteads in the border region, but the Zambian government has also accused Angolan troops of entering Zambian territory and harassing villagers.

Nakamitsu said UNICEF has donated to the OVP plastic sheeting, blankets, medical supplies as well as non-food items for distribution to the IDPs. He added that the OVP is supplying food items for the displaced.

The IDPs who have fled their homes are not accommodated in camps, but have settled with relatives further inland from the border areas. Nakamitsu said UNICEF and the OVP are coordinating assistance to the displaced, while other organisations are playing a supporting role. These include UNHCR, WFP, Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) and the Zambian Red Cross.

Nakamitsu added that UNICEF and the OVP have updated their contingency plan for a possible 25,000 IDPs in the province should the security situation further deteriorate. “We have supplies ready and are prepared to cater for the needs of the expected IDPs,” he said.

Meanwhile, media reports said Zambian and Angolan officials are due to meet in Lusaka on Wednesday to discuss the situation along their shared border. The meeting will be held under the auspices of the Zambia-Angola joint permanent commission. The Angolan delegation will comprise the deputy defence minister, the home affairs minister and defence chiefs, the reports added.