Attachments
The Minister for Welfare, Family and the Promotion of Women provided 400 tents to the provincial government to support the relocation of refugees from Cacanda to Lóvua.
Seminars on refugee rights and obligations were conducted at Lóvua, Cacanda, Dundo and at the Provincial Police Command, with the participation of the Provincial General Attorney.
The Provincial Governor of Lunda Norte announced 31 March 2018 as the deadline for the relocation of refugees from Cacanda centre to Lóvua settlement.
KEY FIGURES
75% of Congolese refugees from Kasai in Angola are women and children
34,464 Biometrically registered Congolese refugees in Lunda Norte Province. 26,710 refugees currently have active status to receive food assistance.
50,000 Inter-agency planning figure for Congolese refugees from the Kasai region in northern Angola by the end of the year
Operational Context
The outbreak of violence in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in March 2017 triggered the internal displacement of some 1.4 million persons and the flight of over 33,000 refugees into Lunda Norte Province, Angola. Refugees have reported generalized violence, mass killings, mutilations, burning of property, destruction of villages, schools and churches, rape of women and girls and human rights abuses, as well as food shortage and the lack of access to basic services and goods. The Emergency Relief Coordinator declared an IASC System-Wide L3 Emergency Response for DRC focusing on the Kasai region, Tanganyika and South Kivu provinces, effective 20 October.
The DRC-Angola border is a main artery for trade between the two countries; while the border is currently closed to trade and commerce, the Government of Angola (GoA) has kept an open door policy to welcome Congolese nationals fleeing as a result of the conflict.
As the situation remains volatile in the Kasai region, humanitarian agencies in Angola have developed a response plan to assist an influx of 50,000 refugees by end December. The interagency humanitarian response for the Congolese refugees covers the areas of protection, emergency shelter, food security and nutrition, non-food items, water, sanitation, hygiene, health and education until the end of 2017.
The voluntary relocation of refugees from Cacanda reception centre to the new settlement of Lóvua started on 8 August. Since then, 3,499 Congolese refugees from Mussungue and Cacanda reception centres relocated to the settlement in Lóvua, which has a total capacity for approximately 30,000 refugees. This settlement is expected to respond to the needs of all refugees living in Lunda Norte Province, and, if required, it has the capacity to accommodate the 2017 year-end planning figure of 50,000 people.
Heavy machinery in Lóvua will soon open primary roads. The construction company is concluding the topographic study to accelerate site development, and the installation of basic facilities to receive refugees, thereby increasing the pace of relocation to Lóvua. The Provincial Governor of Lunda Norte announced 31 March 2018, as the final deadline to relocate refugees from Cacanda to Lóvua.