Africa-Press – Angola. The governor of Lunda-Norte, Deolinda Satula Vilarinho, called yesterday for the reinforcement of operational measures along the borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with a view to improving the fight against illegal immigration.
Looking ahead to the economic year 2023, the minister said it was necessary to equip border posts with modern and effective equipment, to stop this phenomenon, which has been increasing in recent years.
Data from the National Police indicate that from January to the present date, 112 cases of border violation were registered, 20 more compared to the same period, which resulted in the arrest of 25,524 citizens of the DRC, against 1,358 in 2021.
11 thousand and 10 irregular immigrants from the DRC were expelled from the national territory, 585 more than in the same period last year, through the border posts of Chissanda, Furtuna, Nachiri, Lupemba, Itanda, Nordeste, Furi-3 and Marcos-5, in the municipalities from Chitato and Cambulo.
Deolinda Satula considers that the rate of cases of illegal immigration should be a constant concern of related bodies and the population residing along the borders, as it represents a threat to sovereignty.
He asked the population to continue collaborating with defense and security bodies, avoiding aid to immigration.
He also defended the need to reinforce measures to combat illicit trafficking in diamonds and fuel smuggling along borders and beyond, as they represent a danger to the economy.
The province of Lunda-Norte, with almost one million inhabitants, results from the division of the former province of Lunda, on July 4, 1978. It is located in the east of the country and comprises the municipalities of Chitato (political and economic capital), Cambulo, Caungula, Cuilo, Cuango, Capenda Camulemba, Lucapa, Lubalo, Lóvua and Xá-Muteba.
Completed PIIM projects
Forty-two projects linked to the sectors of Education, Water, Health, Public Safety and basic sanitation, built within the scope of the Integrated Plan for Intervention in Municipalities (PIIM), have been concluded and are in operation in the province of Lunda-Norte.
The information was provided, Friday, in Dundo, by the local governor, Deolinda Satula Vilarinho, during an end-of-year greeting ceremony, underlining that of the 42 projects, seven are in the Education sector (schools), two of Water, 12 for Health (medical posts and centres), three for public security (police stations), 12 for basic sanitation and six are municipal allocations. The leader said that the completed works began in 2020.
On the other hand, he made it known that, initially, 67 projects were registered for the province of Lunda-Norte, but within the scope of the economic and financial rebalancing, approved by Executive Decree 167/20, on exceptional measures for the execution of public contracts, 41 more actions were added, making a total of 108, of which 42 have already been concluded.
In the first half of 2023, four projects will be completed, namely the rehabilitation of the public lighting system in the municipalities of Chitato and Cambulo, the Hospital Municipal do Lóvua, as well as the requalification of the Municipal Cemetery of Chitato.
On the other hand, he said that under the Eurobond’s line of financing, the completion, in 2023, of the work on the Home for the 3rd age, a school for students with special needs, in Chitato, and maternal and child hospitals in the municipalities of Cambulo and Shah-Muteba.
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