Africa-Press – Angola. The embassies of the United Kingdom, China and France on Monday in eastern Lunda-Norte province, pledged to provide financial support for the humanitarian assistance to refugees of various nationalities who have sought refuge and protection in this Southern African nation.
Speaking to the press at the end of the meeting with the deputy governor for the social, political and economic sector of Lunda-Norte, Frederico Barroso, the UK ambassador to Angola, Baharat Joshi, his country is studying the possibility of opening new partnerships with the Angolan government in the migration area and to support the country in assisting refugees.
According to the diplomat, the reduction in donations and funding for assistance to refugees is forcing the United Nations to make difficult decisions, such as closing some offices around the world, including Angola, hence the need for countries that are part of the UN Security Council to find new mechanisms to continue funding projects aimed at the socio-economic reintegration of refugees.
“These moments force us to reinvent ourselves and open up an opportunity to establish new partnerships with Angola, in terms of funding and other support mechanisms to be able to respond to humanitarian situations,” the UK diplomat said.
Baharat Joshi said that he was in Lunda-Norte to learn about the real situation of the refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) settled in the Lovua refugee camp, in order to later find support mechanisms for the emigrants’ reintegration projects.
For his part, the Counsellor of the French embassy in Angola, Christophe Carlucci, guaranteed that his government would join Angola’s efforts to support and protect the refugees, which is why he is in Lunda-Norte to interact with the local authorities and representatives of the United Nations High Commission.
He announced that in June a French agency is to be set up in Luanda, dedicated exclusively to monitoring, supporting and protecting refugees, an action that is being agreed with the Angolan government.
The Counsellor of the Chinese embassy in Angola, Dai Fenfning, highlighted Angola’s role in mediating conflicts in Africa and its willingness to take in citizens from other countries forced to leave their homeland.
He said China intends to increase its investments an donations so that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) better develop its actions around the world and particularly in Angola.
The UNHCR has announced that it will be closing its offices in Angola from the last quarter of this year, due to a shortage of funds caused by a reduction in donations and funding.
To ensure continued assistance to refugees, the institution plans to open an office in South Africa which will oversee all actions in Angola, as well as a representation in Luanda with two national officers.
Lovua refugee camp currently controls more than 6,000 of the 35,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who in May 2017 sought refuge and safety in Angola, fleeing acts of violence in the Kasai area, a crisis that led to the declaration of an emergency situation.
In Angola, the UNHCR controls a total of 56,000 refugees of various nationalities, mostly from the DRC.
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