More Angolan refugees cross into Zambia

About 657 Angolan refugees have fled fighting into northwestern Zambia, a spokesman for UNHCR in Lusaka told IRIN on Monday.

“The refugees crossed over into northwestern Zambia from Moxico province last week,” Kelvin Shimo said. “The situation has stabilised now and the refugees are in the process of being transferred to the Maheba refugee camp. The transfer should be completed by the end of this week.” Shimo added that two trucks carrying food had already been sent to the refugees.

News reports said on Friday that the refugees crossed into Zambia’s Northwestern province after UNITA rebels launched an attack on Angolan government troops in the Moxico area. Reports quoted Zambian officials as saying that armed combatants fled alongside the refugees into Zambia.

Meanwhile, a WFP official told IRIN on Monday that WFP had enough food to meet the needs of refugees in Zambia until the end of June.

“We have received a number of contributions from countries like the United States and we are in the process of buying and delivering food to the refugees,” Jorge Fanlo, WFP’s Deputy Country Director for Zambia said. “We have been able to maintain 50 percent rationing for the first distribution now at the beginning of April, and will be able to give 100 percent rations for the second distribution.” WFP has two distributing cycles per month.

In February WFP appealed for US $2.6 million to continue feeding an estimated 84,000 refugees in Zambia who have fled fighting in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).