Dundo: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will close its offices in Angola starting from the last quarter of this year, citing a shortage of funds resulting from decreased donations and funding.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the announcement was made by Emmanuelle Mitte, the UNHCR representative in Angola, during a meeting in Dundo. Mitte was accompanied by the United Kingdom ambassador to Angola, Baharat Joshi, and representatives from the embassies of China and France. The meeting was held with Frederico Barroso, the deputy governor for the Social, Political, and Economic sector of Lunda-Norte.
A delegation from the UNHCR, along with officials from the United Kingdom, France, and China, visited Lunda-Norte to assess the situation of refugees settled in L³vua. The visit aimed to define the necessary funding to support these refugees.
Emmanuelle Mitte clarified that the decision to close offices in Luanda and Lunda-Norte is part of a broader struggle with financial limitations affecting UNHCR's global operations. Despite the closures, UNHCR's support for the Angolan government and its assistance to over 56,000 refugees will continue. An office in South Africa is planned to oversee UNHCR activities in Angola.
Mitte also mentioned efforts to mobilize funds for a small office in Angola, which will be staffed by two national officers after the current offices are closed.
The L³vua settlement currently houses more than 6,000 refugees, part of the 35,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who fled to Angola in May 2017 to escape violence in the Kasai area. This crisis had previously led to the declaration of an emergency situation.
In Angola, UNHCR controls a total of 56,000 refugees of various nationalities, mostly from the DRC.
