Dundo — The government of the eastern Lunda Norte (Angola) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are since Tuesday assessing the repatriation process of over 20,000 refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accommodated in that region since May 2017.
The negotiations arise due to the fact that in June this year, 85 percent of the refugees expressed willingness to return home, taking into account that, according to them, the causes that forced themto abandon their country no longer exist, so they see no motive to continue in Angola.
According to UNHCR senior official, Aliton Carneiro, in order for this aim to be achieved, logistical and transport conditions are being created along with a reintegration package to aid refugees to reintegrate in their country.
The meeting decided that the Angolan authorities need to reach soon an agreement with DRC for compliance with repatriation norms and speed up Angola/DRC / UNHCR tripartite meeting to define the date for the beginning of the process.
The DRC citizens abandoned the country to be a refugee in Angola, due to the extreme and generalized violence generated by ethnical and political tensions that hit this African nation in 2017.
