AFRICA/ANGOLA - More than 52,000 Congolese expelled from Angola in 3 weeks; an NGO reports cases of sexual violence

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Luanda (Agenzia Fides) - 52.231 people have crossed the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last three weeks, expelled by force by the authorities in Luanda. This was reported by the NGO Médecins du Monde that denounces that expulsions occur frequently under violent conditions.
"At the beginning of the month of May - says a statement of Médecins du Monde -Angola issued an ultimatum to illegal Congolese.
Currently, there are people who are expelled crossing the border and this takes place under very painful conditions. Often women are raped."
The Congolese rejected are now in big trouble because they are without assistance. In addition to Kasai Oriental, the people expelled from Angola are in other regions of the DRC. On 22 May, the civil society of Tembo, in the territory of Kasongo-Lunda, in the province of Bandundu, had launched an appeal to the authorities in Kinshasa to bring aid such as clothing to 5,000 Congolese expelled from Angola. Four days after the administrator of the territory of Kapanga, in the province of Katanga, had launched an appeal for other 200 Congolese expelled who find themselves in precarious conditions. The territory of Muanda (Bas-Congo) has accepted others. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 06/06/2013)


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