Angola's Refugee Policy: Open Or Closed Doors?

Angola has played a significant role in refugee resettlement, both as a country of origin and destination. After a 27-year civil war, Angola experienced the return of over 400,000 Angolans who fled during the conflict. Since then, Angola has also hosted refugees, with approximately 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), currently residing in the country.

Angola hosts refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Mauritania, and others

Angola has been hosting refugees from various countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Mauritania, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and others. As of May 2023, there were around 56,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Angola, spread across provinces such as Luanda and Lunda Norte. This population includes refugees from the DRC, who make up a significant portion, with a notable influx occurring in 2017 due to the conflict in the Kasai region. Angola's history as a host country for refugees dates back to its support for those fleeing the DRC's Kasai conflict, which began in 2017.

The UNHCR has played a crucial role in assisting refugees in Angola, and they have been present in the country for over 40 years. They work closely with the Angolan government to ensure that refugees have access to essential services, territory, asylum, and documentation. The UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs and advocates for the inclusion of refugees in development plans and key government programmes.

Angola's role as a host country for refugees is notable, given that it has also experienced a significant return of its citizens following decades of conflict. The country has witnessed the return of more than 400,000 Angolans who had previously sought refuge in other nations during the civil war. This dual role as both a country of origin and destination for refugees showcases Angola's commitment to supporting those in need.

The refugee population in Angola faces various challenges, including a lack of proper documentation, which impacts their access to education, healthcare, and other services. Additionally, natural disasters, such as floods and droughts, have been cited as drivers of internal displacement within the country. Nonetheless, Angola continues to extend support to refugees, and its efforts are further bolstered by the presence of organisations like the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Angola's experience as a host country for refugees is shaped by its own history of displacement. The country has made significant progress in maintaining political stability and addressing the challenges of repatriation and reintegration. As a result, Angola is not only committed to supporting refugees from other nations but also understands the complexities and needs of displaced populations firsthand.

The UNHCR has been in Angola for over 40 years, supporting refugees and asylum seekers

The UNHCR has been present in Luanda, Angola, for over 40 years, with a Field Office in Dundo since 2017. During this time, the UNHCR has played a crucial role in supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced populations in the country.

Angola currently hosts about 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with the majority coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The influx of refugees from the DRC has been significant, especially during the 2017 mass exodus from the Great Kasai region. Angola has also welcomed refugees from other countries, including Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Rwanda, and others.

The UNHCR works closely with the Angolan government to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers have unhindered access to territory, asylum, registration, documentation, and refugee status determination. They also provide humanitarian assistance to meet the basic needs of displaced populations and host communities, and advocate for the inclusion of refugees in development plans and key government programmes.

In addition to supporting refugees and asylum seekers, the UNHCR has also been instrumental in the repatriation of Angolans who fled the country during the long civil war. After the reestablishment of peace in 2002, the Angolan government requested UNHCR support to facilitate the repatriation of Angolan refugees. From 2003 to 2015, more than 523,000 Angolan refugees returned, with over half coming from the DRC.

The UNHCR's presence in Angola has been a vital part of the country's efforts to support and protect refugees and asylum seekers, as well as assist in the repatriation of its citizens who had fled during the civil war.

Angola has also experienced the return of over 400,000 Angolans who fled during the civil war

Angola has experienced the return of over 400,000 Angolans who fled the country during the civil war. The return of these refugees has been facilitated by the Angolan government, in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The United Nations supports these repatriation operations to help governments manage the influx of refugees, improve border control, and find long-term solutions to the challenges they face.

The return of Angolan refugees to their home country is a significant development, given the country's long history of civil war and human displacement. The civil war in Angola lasted for nearly three decades and resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Many Angolans fled to neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, and South Africa. The massive displacement led to the establishment of camps for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) by the military.

The Angolan government has accepted responsibility for resolving the issue of human displacement caused by the conflict. The legal and policy framework for repatriation was established in May 2002, soon after the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the parties involved in the civil war. The United Nations Mission in Angola (UNMA) was also created to assist with political and humanitarian matters, including the protection and promotion of human rights, and the building of institutions to consolidate peace and enhance the rule of law.

The return of over 400,000 Angolans is a testament to the progress made in the country towards peace and stability. However, there are still challenges to be addressed, such as the lack of local capacity to receive and integrate returnees, inadequate infrastructure, and the need for economic diversification. Additionally, there are concerns about the sustainability of peace in Angola, especially with the ongoing presence of military structures and the potential for ex-combatants to be remobilized.

The successful reintegration of returning refugees is crucial for the long-term stability of Angola. It requires collaborative efforts between the government, international organizations, and local communities to ensure that returnees have access to basic services, livelihood opportunities, and social support.

The UNHCR provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities

The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been present in Luanda, Angola, for over 40 years, with a Field Office in Dundo since 2017. The organization works in full partnership, coordination, and dialogue with the Angolan government to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities.

UNHCR's assistance helps meet the basic needs of displaced populations and ensures they have full access to essential services and livelihood opportunities. This includes providing emergency shelter, such as tents for families displaced by flooding in Kenya, mattresses, and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

In Angola, UNHCR supports the government in ensuring that people in need of international protection have unhindered access to territory and asylum, registration, documentation, and refugee status determination. They advocate for the inclusion of refugees in development plans and other key programs carried out by the government, non-governmental stakeholders, UN sister agencies, and other international organizations in the country.

UNHCR also works with governments and international actors worldwide to promote access to national social protection programs for refugees and host populations. They support national protection and solutions strategies by aligning their assistance with social protection programs and setting up referral processes to prepare and accompany the inclusion of forcibly displaced people in national systems.

Additionally, UNHCR helps strengthen national social protection systems and supports the inclusion of displaced persons. They leverage national systems for emergency preparedness and response and scale up assistance for newly arrived populations while managing the impact of disasters on people in protracted displacement. They also ensure the continued provision of relevant support where governments cannot fully meet the needs of forcibly displaced persons.

Angola is a Tier 2 country in terms of human trafficking, and a source, transit, and destination

Angola is a Tier 2 country, which means that it does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The country has demonstrated overall increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, including identifying more victims, training officials on the national referral mechanism, and cooperating with foreign governments on cross-border trafficking cases. However, the government has been criticised for investigating, prosecuting, and convicting fewer traffickers, as well as lacking adequate protection services for victims.

Angola is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. This means that victims are recruited and transported from Angola to other countries, as well as being brought into the country, and also moved within its borders. Traffickers exploit both Angolans and foreign nationals within the country, and Angolans are also exploited abroad. Vulnerable groups include women, children as young as 12, and men, who are forced into labour or sex exploitation.

Angola has been identified as a source country for human trafficking, with victims being exploited both domestically and internationally. Angolan women and children are forced into labour and sex trafficking in South Africa, Namibia, and European countries, including the Netherlands and Portugal. Traffickers also take advantage of the country's porous borders to transport victims to neighbouring countries, such as Namibia, for forced labour in industries such as cattle herding and unlicensed street vending. Additionally, transnational trafficking networks recruit and transport Congolese girls as young as 12 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Angola for labour and sex trafficking.

As a transit country, Angola's borders facilitate the movement of victims within the region. Traffickers take advantage of the country's numerous unsecured, informal, and heavily used border crossings to move victims between countries. For example, Angolan boys are taken to Namibia for forced labour, while others are forced to serve as couriers to transport illicit goods across the border. The country's borders with the DRC and Namibia, in particular, have been identified as routes for human trafficking.

Angola is also a destination country for human trafficking, with victims being brought into the country from other nations. Undocumented Congolese migrants, including children, enter Angola in search of work in diamond-mining districts, where they become vulnerable to forced labour and sex trafficking in mining camps. Additionally, women from Brazil, Cuba, the DRC, Namibia, and Vietnam engaged in commercial sex in Angola may be victims of sex trafficking, as they do not have access to their legal identity documents. Large corporations, particularly those from the People's Republic of China, have also been implicated in exploiting foreign workers in Angola through forced labour.

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