08/15/2003

Over one year ago, 27 years of conflict in Angola came to an end.  Since then, an estimated 150,000 of 450,000 refugees have returned home on their own, while only 12,000 have returned officially with the assistance of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A lack of information about official repatriation processes, problems procuring appropriate documents, and delays opening and equipping transit centers for repatriation, have all contributed to a situation where most refugees return to Angola unofficially without the full assistance promised to officially repatriated refugees. Official returns are also reduced because many areas inside Angola do not meet minimum conditions for repatriation.

Following several delays, the UNHCR began its official repatriation program on June 20, 2003.  At the present time, there are only four transit centers in Angola where refugees may be officially received.  These are in Angola’s eastern Moxico province, northern Zaire province and in the southern province of Kuando Kubango.  Logistical obstacles, such as poor roads, broken bridges and a lack of vehicles, have hampered efforts to expand the program to its intended size. An additional obstacle is the fact that many returnee areas do not meet minimum conditions for return, causing UNHCR to delay some official returns to avoid sending refugees to areas where they cannot receive humanitarian aid. After more than a year, however, refugees are impatient and unwilling to wait any longer to come home.

Even after official repatriations have begun, refugees continue to come back on their own. In the countries of refuge, many live in settlements rather than in official camps. Some of these settlements are located far from official camps or registration sites and have not received clear information on how they can register for repatriation or receive voluntary repatriation forms.  Although UNHCR has stated that officials plan go to these settlements to register returnees, this has not yet taken place and many refugees are too skeptical and too impatient to wait any longer.

Refugees International (RI) spoke with Pedro and a group of 28 other spontaneous returnees who were squatting on the outskirts of an official transit center in Mbanza Congo. Pedro lived in a refugee settlement several hundred kilometers from the nearest official registration site and an equal distance from the border of Angola.  Having received no clear information about official return processes, he decided to spend his money for transportation back to Angola, rather than for travel to a refugee camp, where he was uncertain he would receive the proper documents.

The problem for most of Angola’s spontaneous returnees is that they may be unable to access assistance that is critical to help them become self-sufficient.  An official refugee receives transport from their refugee camp to their village in Angola and a generous package of non-food items, in addition to seeds, tools, construction kits, and food rations through the first harvest.  The Government of Angola has taken the critical step of providing registration to refugee children at official transit centers, issuing them a card that is the equivalent of a national identification card and necessary for admittance to school.  Pedro and his children received only a few supplies from the UNHCR, no follow up food rations, and no registration card for his children.  

Another group of refugees who are finding the UNHCR registration system difficult to navigate is those refugees living near the border of Angola. Although it is easy for them to return home, it is far more difficult to pay for transportation of family members to a distant registration site to attempt to get official documents.  In fact, there are limited mechanisms for non-camp-based refugees outside Angola to register for repatriation with attempts to do so proving inconsistent. Of the 450,000 refugees living in the region, approximately half live in unofficial refugee camps with limited access to registration for repatriation.

Of further concern for the spontaneous return population is the lack of protection. Because they come to Angola on their own accord, they are crossing borders unsupervised by UN officials.  Cases of bribery, harassment and sexual assault have been documented among spontaneous returnees, emphasizing the importance of returning officially.

UNHCR’s policy towards spontaneous returnees is inconsistent, although efforts are being made to standardize it. In Mbanza Congo, spontaneous returnees receive very little assistance from UNHCR, whereas in Lumbala N Guimbo, where no official reception center is open, spontaneous returnees receive non-food items and follow up food distributions if they can produce any of three documents given to them by either UNHCR or the Angolan Consulate in the country of refuge. Such flexibility is very welcome for refugees like Teresa, who walked for one month with her two children from Zambia to Lumbala N Guimbo, where UNHCR has permitted an unofficial transit center to be used to feed and house incoming refugees for up to five days.

Had this center been officially open, UNHCR would have transported Teresa and her children, sparing them the one-month walk, transport fares, and going without food.  Four bridges along the route are broken, however, leaving UNHCR in a difficult position.  It is the Government of Angola’s job to repair the bridges, but the Government is displaying little urgency preparing access for returning refugees. Lack of access will especially jeopardize the lives of children. Teresa lost her six-month-old baby during the lengthy journey.

The prevalence of spontaneous returns reflects the lack of information and the difficulties that refugees face in navigating the registration system. UNHCR must do all it can to develop a user-friendly system that allows refugees to come home though official processes, without unnecessary obstacles. Understandably, UNHCR is concerned that an influx of spontaneous returnees could strain their organized return process. It is also concerned with trying to limit returnees to dangerous and inaccessible areas. After waiting for over a year to come home, however, refugees will inevitably continue to return unofficially. It is critical that UNHCR make every effort to accommodate spontaneous returnees through an alternative assistance package that includes registration and basic assistance.

Refugees International therefore recommends that:

UNHCR