Africa-Press – Angola. The Government is evaluating the possibility of chartering a plane to bring to Luanda, probably on the 8th and 9th of this month, Angolans who fled the war in Ukraine and, until now, refugees in Poland.
The information, not confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was provided by a source who follows the process of evacuation and reception of Angolan refugees, who, in the city of Warsaw, Polish capital, are staying at the Start Hotel Aramis. The expenses with the hotel are being entirely borne by the Angolan Government, which created a budget for this operation, with three axes of action: evacuation, reception and transport to Luanda.
The two dates, given by the source as being the departure dates of Angolan refugees from Poland, are related to the end of the period of stay imposed by the Polish Government on refugees in transit, with those who, not being Ukrainians, being in this category, have to return to their countries of origin.
Refugees in transit can only stay in Poland for a period of seven days, a time horizon that does not cover those returning to Ukraine, between Ukrainian and foreign nationals, who must stay in Poland for 15 days, which period may be extended. , if the war in Ukraine continues.
The source admitted that the deadlines determined by the Government of Poland are within a logic of predictability of the return of peace to Ukraine in a short period of time. The Polish logic can be fueled, as the source also admits, by the existence of “great pressure” from the international community on Russia, for the immediate end of the invasion of Ukraine, which today completes a week.
Although the Angolans are entering Poland as refugees in transit, this being one of the “details of the agreement”, the source said that they are receiving visas with a duration of 15 days, with this flexibility of the Polish Government resulting from the fact that there is no , also, a “concrete date” for the departure of Angolan refugees.
The Angolan government’s decision to charter an aircraft, to bring about 200 compatriots to Luanda, can be reassessed, to the point that a plan B can be found, if there are a significant number of individuals who decide not to return to Angola.
If that is the case, those who decide to return to Angola, who may hypothetically be a minority, will no longer come aboard a chartered plane, but a commercial aircraft, and the Angolan Government will have to buy air tickets to the city of Luanda.
Regardless of the conjecture, according to the source, it is safe to say that Angolans in Poland will not be able to stay longer than 15 days. Poland is the country with which Angola has established a “diplomatic contact and agreement”, which is the origin of the entry and provisional stay in the territory of our compatriots fleeing the violent war in Ukraine.
Angolans on other routes
Despite the fact that Poland is officially the only gateway for Angolans fleeing the war in Ukraine, Jornal de Angola received, yesterday, reports of the arrival of six Angolans in the Czech Republic, after having passed through Hungary, and from seven to Moldavia.
The Embassy of Angola in Germany, which also represents the country in the Czech Republic, sent, yesterday, an official to the capital of the latter country, Prague, to, in contact with the local authorities, request official protection for the six Angolans, already welcomed by the honorary consul of Angola, confirmed to Jornal de Angola, a diplomatic source.
The entry of Angolan refugees in Poland is the result of a plan created within the scope of an articulation between the Angolan Embassies in that country and in Russia, with each diplomatic representation having specific and different tasks. The Angolan Embassy in Russia, for example, has the task of signaling and accompanying Angolans wishing to leave Ukraine and the burden of transport, from their area of residence to the city of Lviv, which borders with Poland.
The cost of transport to the city of Lviv is being borne, contrary to what was agreed, by the Angolans themselves who decide to flee Ukraine, and for this reason the Angolan Embassy in Russia must reimburse the amount even before the Angolan refugees leave Poland. The diplomatic mission in Russia has established a “single value”, which will be delivered by an official of that diplomatic representation, which is expected in the next few days in Poland.
The Embassy of Angola in Poland is, in turn, responsible for welcoming Angolans at the border with Ukraine, housing and transporting them to Luanda, where they can, unless those who choose to arrive, until the war in Ukraine is over, for go to another country, probably because they have dual nationality or a residence permit.
The Angolans’ evacuation plan was designed with a budget to support the expenses of transport within Ukraine and Poland, accommodation and air transport to Luanda. The involvement of the Embassy of Angola in Russia in the process of evacuation, reception and transport results from the fact that the diplomatic representation controls the Angolan community in Ukraine, mostly made up of students. This control already took place when Ukraine was one of the 15 Soviet Socialist Republics, whose disintegration took place in December 1991, following the collapse of the communist system.
In Poland, 130 compatriots who have left Ukraine are now taking refuge. Jornal de Angola wrongly advanced in yesterday’s edition that 180 compatriots were in the European country, when, in fact, there were 108, a number that, in the meantime, has risen.
Consular protection of citizens
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs “is working to ensure proper consular protection for Angolan citizens stranded in areas of conflict in Ukraine.”
In a statement distributed yesterday to the media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that the work being done is the result of a Contingency Plan for the Evacuation of Angolans held “in the areas of conflict in Ukraine”.
To this end, the statement reads, the ministerial department is in “close liaison with the diplomatic representations of Angola in the Russian Federation, Poland, Serbia and Hungary, in order to provide all the necessary support at this difficult time”.
“Despite the complexity of the present situation”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals “to all compatriots” to better collaborate with the Angolan institutions accredited in these countries and guarantees that it continues to work in coordination with other ministerial departments”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes the collaboration of Angolan community leaders in the affected areas and encourages them to continue working for the massive mobilization of all national citizens in the areas indicated by the diplomatic missions of Angola.
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