Luanda - Angola is home to 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers, figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country have shown, Angola Foreign Ministry (Mirex) said Thursday in a statement.
The population is largely made up of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 17% of whom were registered during the 2017 mass influx from Greater Kasai, the statement said.
It adds that citizens of other nationalities are also on the list, including Guineans, Ivoirians, Mauritanians, Somalis, Sudanese and Eritreans.
The figures were released during a meeting between the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities, Domingos Custódio Vieira Lopes, and the resident representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Angola, Emmanuelle Nathalie Mitte, which served as an opportunity for the two organizations to discuss refugee issues.
Cooperation between the Angolan government and the UNHCR has been fundamental in finding sustainable solutions to the humanitarian challenges affecting thousands of refugees, according to the statement.
The UNHCR has been present in Angola for more than 40 years and works in full partnership and coordination with the government, providing support to follow and develop policies and legislation that are consistent with global commitments related to refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons.
The activities of the organization in Angola are aimed at supporting the government to ensure that people in need of international protection have unhindered access to territory and determination of asylum, registration, legal papers and refugee status.
UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities to meet their basic needs and gain full access to essential services and livelihood opportunities.
FMA/SC/MRA/AMP
