Angolan refugees stranded in Zambia

LUSAKA – More than 700 Angolan refugees wanting to return home are stranded in Zambia after an unexplained delay by their country’s authorities to clear the plane used in their repatriation, a United Nations official said yesterday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will hold talks with Angolan officials Monday to try to resolve the issue which has seen 724 refugees stranded for the last few days, UNHCR resident representative in Zambia, Ahmed Farah said. “We are still waiting for clearance from the Angolan government so that these refugees can be repatriated as soon as possible,” Farah told AFP.He said his agency had not been given the reasons for the delay in granting clearance for the plane to take the refugees to their home country.A senior Zambian government official expressed concern over the conditions in which the stranded refugees were being kept in a makeshift transit camp in Zambia’s western province town of Mongu, situated about 700 kilometres west of the capital.”The conditions in which the refugees are living are deplorable.In fact one baby died due to sickness at the same camp,” said Peter Mumba, a home affairs secretary.He said he had requested Zambia’s foreign minister to take up the matter with the Angolan government so that the issue of clearance could be resolved quickly to enable the stranded refugees return.- Nampa-AFP”We are still waiting for clearance from the Angolan government so that these refugees can be repatriated as soon as possible,” Farah told AFP.He said his agency had not been given the reasons for the delay in granting clearance for the plane to take the refugees to their home country.A senior Zambian government official expressed concern over the conditions in which the stranded refugees were being kept in a makeshift transit camp in Zambia’s western province town of Mongu, situated about 700 kilometres west of the capital.”The conditions in which the refugees are living are deplorable.In fact one baby died due to sickness at the same camp,” said Peter Mumba, a home affairs secretary.He said he had requested Zambia’s foreign minister to take up the matter with the Angolan government so that the issue of clearance could be resolved quickly to enable the stranded refugees return.- Nampa-AFP