Africa-Press – Angola. The Migration and Foreigners Service (SME), assigned to the Ministry of the Interior, has a record, across the country, of 139,812 immigrants of different nationalities.
The information was provided by the director general of the SME, Chief Migration Commissioner João António da Costa Dias, regarding International Migrants Day, which is celebrated today.
According to the general director of the SME, it is estimated to exist in Angola and to register a total of 28,090 asylum seekers and 14,595 citizens with refugee status.
João António da Costa Dias reported that the average number of people repatriated during 2022 and 2023 was 23,759 and 28,549 citizens of different nationalities, respectively.
As for what is meant by a migrant, the director general of the SME said that it is a foreign citizen who enters the national territory under the cover of an entry visa, valid in accordance with current legislation.
Migration, as a global phenomenon, is defined as the voluntary or forced movement of individuals, from one geographic space to another, temporarily or permanently, which can be triggered by various reasons, namely economic, cultural, religious, political and natural.
Migration strategy
In Angola, the migration strategy has its premises in Presidential Decree no. 318/18, of 31 December, which approves the National Migration Policy, as a guidance platform for all bodies involved in the management of migratory flows, designed to influence the actions of the various State bodies.
“The aforementioned platform contains the bases on which identification policies and the adoption of criteria for granting migratory status are established, so that the integration of migrant citizens constitutes added value for the economic, cultural and social development of the country ”, said the person responsible for the SME.
The entry, stay, transit and exit of foreign citizens in the country is regulated by Law 13/19, of 23 May, on the Legal Regime for Foreigners in the Republic of Angola, which provides a wide range of visas, depending on the purpose. of entry into national territory.
According to the head of the SME, despite the special attention given to the policy of integrating migrants into national territory, they still encounter some difficulties in the socialization process, due to religion and culture.
João António da Costa Dias said that the nationalities with the most migrants in the country are Portuguese, Chinese, Guinean and Congolese (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Rights of migrants
Regarding rights and guarantees, Law No. 13/19, 23 May, in articles 4 to 12, provides that foreign citizens (migrants) in Angola have the right to free movement, the right to assembly and demonstration, freedom of education , teaching, right to join trade union organizations and professional associations.
The migrant also benefits from all the constitutional and legal guarantees recognized to national citizens, namely recourse to judicial bodies for acts that violate their rights, not being arrested or suffering any sanction, except in the cases and in the ways provided for by law , peacefully exercise and enjoy their property rights and not suffer any arbitrary or discriminatory measures and not be expelled or extradited except in the cases and in the ways provided for by law.
The situation of refugees in Angola arises from the observance of assumed international obligations, with adherence to international conventions relating to refugees and the inhibition of abusive use of the asylum process for those who, fraudulently, intend to enter the country outside the assumptions defined by the international conventions.
The SME is the State body that assesses asylum requests and carries out the investigation of processes granting refugee status, based on Law 10/15, of 17 June, Law on the Right to Asylum and Refugee Status.
Assigning new documents
The general director of the SME recalled that, with the extinction of the Committee for the Recognition of the Right to Asylum (COREDA), Presidential Decree no 200/18, of 27 August, was approved, which creates the National Council for Refugees (CNR) , a multisectoral body that recently started, in Luanda, at the Rangel and Special Economic Zone service points, in Viana, the process of national registration of refugees and asylum seekers and the attribution of new refugee cards.
It is, he added, a modern document, with greater durability, secure, with a QR code, difficult to counterfeit and other security elements.
The aforementioned registration is extended to the household of those targeted and will take place throughout the national territory.
CATHOLIC CHURCH: “Welcome is provided in accordance with international standards”
The secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Itinerant Migrants (CEPAMI) of the Catholic Church, Octávio Miguel Buco, who spoke on behalf of the executive secretary of CEPAMI, Mother Carla Frey Bamberg, clarified that the migrant or person in a mobility situation can be classified into several subcategories, including refugees, displaced people, returnees, repatriates, among others.
“When we talk about the situation of migrants in Angola, we need to look at different categories, because each of them has its own specificity”, he said.
For example, he indicated, “economic migrants, those who are foreigners and come to our country as businesspeople, have a completely different standard of living from those who come in another condition”.
“The most important thing is the safeguarding of human life. We have around 56 thousand asylum seekers and refugees in Angola, where reception is carried out in accordance with international standards”, he said.
Octávio Miguel Buco clarified that refugees and asylum seekers are all people who, due to well-founded fears of being persecuted, cross the territorial borders of their countries and head to another country asking for asylum.
According to the person responsible, the constraints they face are many, such as the lack of support from their own institutions. “The way many people arrive at our facilities leaves something to be desired, but we, as good people, treat what is right”, he highlighted.
Regarding nationalities, Octávio Miguel Buco said that among those who most arrive in the country, those from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Mauritania, Cameroon, Eritrea, among others, stand out.
“Our neighbors in the DRC have always been with us, due to the various conflicts that occur in that country”, he said.
In the opinion of the CEPAMI secretary, refugees have a totally different situation, because a refugee leaves his homeland without any preparation, takes nothing, not even luggage, money, leaves with just the clothes he has on his back and runs away.
A migrant is any person who moves from their usual place, their common residence or their place of birth, to another place, region or country. The Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Itinerant Migrants is the body of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) created in 2006 with the purpose of organizing and promoting pastoral services related to refugees and displaced people in human and integral development in Angola.
Senegalese Câmara Dialo lives in Angola “without problems”
Senegalese Câmara Dialio, resident in Angola for eight years, assures that he lives without problems because he has refugee status, which allows him to carry out his business.
Citizen Lisi Que Gorety, 40 years old, a refugee from Burundi, was satisfied with the gesture of the Angolan Executive, in recognizing the registration that is taking place, in Luanda, for the acquisition of the refugee card, which will allow documents to be processed in Angola, such as opening a bank account, in order to help you socially integrate into the country.
Ibraima Amadi, 40 years old, has lived in Angola for five years. Resident in the São Paulo neighborhood, she said that, with the refugee card, she will be able to register her children, open a bank account and work without constraints.
A migrant’s dream
For foreigners residing in Angola, the dream is to have large enterprises. This is the case of Guinean Mohamed Jordi, who aspires to one day own a nationally renowned establishment.
“I’ve been in this business for six years, but I still don’t feel fulfilled. One of my biggest dreams, and I believe it’s every migrant’s dream, is to achieve a stable life in this country,” he said.
“The life we find in Angola, in our country, unfortunately, we don’t have. If it were like that in Guinea too, there would be no need to come to Angola”, he recalled.
Sadio Sodré also dreams of one day building a gigantic appliance and furniture store. But for now, he is content with a small shop in the Mártires de Kifangondo neighborhood. Originally from Côte d’Ivoire, Sadio Sodré left his family to try for a better life, choosing Angola as his destination.
Single, 37 years old, lives in the Hoji ya Henda neighborhood. In 2017, when he turned 30, Sadio Sodré asked his parents to let him try a new way of life outside his country and came to Angola.
Since arriving, he has worked hard to one day return to his family and be able to give them some comfort. “I’m doing my best to give my family another life,” she said.
Touré Mohamed is another immigrant, who left Guinea-Conakry looking for better living conditions. He has been in Angola since 2015. He arrived in Angola at a time when immigrants were seen as smugglers and everything they did was linked to shady deals. He was arranging the products on a shelf in the store where he is the manager, in the Prenda neighborhood, in Luanda.
“Before I settled in this country, the people of Guinea-Conakry had a different image of this country. We heard that Angola was a country of a lot of turbulence and disorder but, fortunately, things are improving today and that’s when I decided to come and live the Angolan reality and I like being here”, he explained.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
“People on the move are powerful drivers of development”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, considers that people on the move are powerful drivers of development, both in countries of origin and destination countries, such as workers, students, businesspeople, family members, artists and much more.
In a message on the occasion of International Migrants Day, which is celebrated today, December 18, António Guterres states that migrants often maintain strong connections with their countries of origin, at the same time as they embrace their new communities, where they bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills.
“If well managed, mobility can be a cornerstone of sustainable development, prosperity and progress”, he highlighted.
In his opinion, unlocking the potential of migration “is fundamental to accelerating efforts to address the significant challenges of the 2030 Agenda, articulated during the Sustainable Development Goals summit, held in New York, in September 2023, for the benefit of all ”.
“There is an urgent need for the international community to provide people-centered, evidence-based solutions for people to remain in their communities and for those who want or should move,” he appealed.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations also said that the recently concluded COP28 summit in Dubai provided the IOM (International Organization for Migration) with the opportunity to once again advocate that the impact of climate change on migrants be a central part of the discussion.
“Promoting equal and inclusive partnerships with migrants, women, people with disabilities and communities, while emphasizing the role of young people, is now more critical than ever,” he emphasized.
On this International Migrants Day, he added, the IOM intends to position migration as one of the solutions to global challenges, such as adapting to the impacts of climate change or offering better economic opportunities for communities.
International Migrants Day
International Migrants Day is celebrated annually on December 18th. The date was established by the United Nations General Assembly, through Resolution 55/93, adopted on December 4, 2000.
December 18 was chosen because it was on this date that, in 1990, the “International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families” was adopted.
Each year, the United Nations, through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), uses International Migrants Day to highlight the contributions of an estimated 281 million migrants, including more than 45 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). ) and the challenges they face.
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