Dundo – The head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the eastern Lunda Norte province Chrispus Tebid said Wednesday in Dundo city, Lunda Norte, that Angola has been an example in Africa and in the world, in terms of protection and guarantees of refugee rights.
Speaking at the reflection meeting on “The right to seek protection”, Chrispus Tebid said that refugees in Angola enjoy the right to life, health, food, education, culture, freedom and dignity.
“Angola has been an example to follow in Africa and in the world when it comes to the protection and guarantees of the rights of refugees. The proof lies in the refugees based in the Lóvua camp since 2017. In addition to the protection they benefit from academic training, health and being integrated in various income generation projects”, he said.
He explained that 90 percent of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still prefer to stay in Angola, as they think the country is a safe haven.
The official underlined that since 2017, there has been no record of physical, verbal aggression or acts of tribalism against DRC refugees housed in the Lóvua settlement by Angolans.
In the Lóvua settlement, three schools, with eight classrooms each, were built in February 2019 to facilitate the insertion of refugee children into the education system ranging from first to eighth grade, benefiting more than 2000 students annually.
The process, which also covers literacy, where, each year, the figure has been 500 refugees who learn to read and write, starting from modules 1, 2 and 3, is secured by 20 teachers and has the support from the Ministry of Education.
In addition to education, 600 refugees are involved in family farming, commerce and entrepreneurship.
Currently, there are 6, 998 refugees in the Lóvua camp, of whom only 600 show an interest in returning to their country of origin.
