Refugee returns decrease

Spontaneous returns of Angolan refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had slowed down, amid reports of the lack of food, schools and medical facilities in Angola, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Kris Janowski said in a statement. "In August, only 660 returns have been recorded so far, with numbers falling last week. Between February and July, an average of 1,500 returns were recorded per month. "Angolan refugees living in settlements in DRC told UNHCR they preferred to wait for the UNHCR-sponsored repatriation next year, rather than rush back to Angola now. They said refugees who had already gone back claimed that famine and the lack of schools and medical facilities in the return zones in Angola made reintegration extremely difficult." Since February 2002 a total of 9,500 refugees had been recorded as having spontaneously returned to Angola from the DRC. However, there was also an unknown number of refugees who had left for Angola without reporting their departure to UNHCR. "In addition to the returns from DRC, Zambia has recorded some 4,500 spontaneous departures of Angolans, with an estimated 8,500 additional non-recorded departures," the UNHCR said. The majority of Angolans repatriating so far were from areas close to the border, while those whose native towns and villages were deeper inside Angola remained apprehensive about travelling long distances on foot with children and elderly family members. "In the Kisenge area of DRC, UNHCR assists a total of 48,500 Angolan refugees in three sites. Two of the sites, Divuma and Tshimbumbulu to the northwest of the city, are located at a distance of 70-km from the Dilolo border. Due to security concerns, Dilolo has been the only authorised border crossing. "UNHCR is negotiating with provincial DRC authorities and Angolan officials to open up another exit point at the Katende-Kasapa border crossing point, 65-km from Kisenge, to the first Angolan village in the Cazombo municipality, north-east of Moxico province," the organisation said. There are nearly 200,000 registered Angolan refugees in DRC, most of whom arrived in four large waves - in 1983, 1990, 1998 and 2000 - when fighting between Angolan government forces and rebel UNITA soldiers forced them to flee.