UPDATE ON ANGOLAN RETURNEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000747

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2024
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PHUM AO
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ANGOLAN RETURNEES

REF: A. A. LUANDA 673

B. B. LUANDA 652

C. C. LUANDA 649

D. D. LUANDA 648

E. E. LUANDA 645

F. F. LUANDA 629

G. G. LUANDA 633

H. H. KINSHASA 957

(U) Classified by Ambassador Dan Mozena, Reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. A USAID assessment team visited Uige
Province from 20 November to 4 December to assess the current
conditions of reception camps and resettlement zones for the
approximate 22,000 Angolans who have flooded back to Uige
since the DRC began expelling them on 5 October (see
reftels). The GRA and GDRC, through shuttle diplomacy, have
stopped expulsions, but approximately 30-50 Angolans continue
to cross the border every day into the province, increasing
the GRA's burden. To date, approximately half of the 22,000
returnees in Uige have been relocated to their zones of
origin, leaving almost 12,000 in camps. GRA officials are
suspicious of some international organizations operating in
the area, as well as returnees themselves, especially those
who do not want to return to their zones of origin. The GRA
is expected to issue an international appeal on 14 December.
END SUMMARY.

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USAID TEAM ASSESSES CAMPS IN UIGE PROVINCE
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2. (SBU) From 20 November to 4 December, a USAID team
traveled to Uige Province to assess the current conditions of
reception camps and resettlement zones for Angolans who have
been expelled or voluntarily left the DRC since early
October. Forced expulsions between the GRA and DRC have
stopped, but approximately 30-50 Angolan returnees continue
to cross into Uige province every day. Of the estimated
22,000 returnees who have entered Uige Province, more than
half have left or been transferred by the government to their
"zones of origin," leaving nearly 12,000 returnees still in
camps.


3. (SBU) Camp officials, returnees, and NGOs provided
information on a wide range of immediate and long-term needs.
Recurrent themes included: inadequate food supplies as two
of the three camps are experiencing food shortages and the
next harvest is not expected for three more months; lack of
kitchen kits, including pots and cooking implements; other
deficient supplies of basic non-food items such as blankets,
foam mattresses, water purification tablets, and mosquito
nets; and shortages of agricultural tools and inputs as many
of the returnees are farmers who plan on resettling in
surrounding villages.


4. (SBU) The relocation process has been hamstrung in
particular by the lack of government transport for returnees
and collapse of local roads as the rainy season continues.
Some returnees' relatives have either not been found, cannot
afford to host returnees, or have rejected them due to bad
relations. In other cases, entire zones of origins were
abandoned during the civil war. Some of those who have been
relocated also have ended up returning to camps because of
poor living conditions in the villages. Most often, these
returnees are not accepted back into the camps and turn to
churches for help.

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REQUESTS MET WITH SUSPICION
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5. (C) The GRA has been reluctant to transfer anyone to urban
areas and has flatly refused to transfer anyone to Luanda.
Educated returnees most want to relocate to urban areas, and
in some cases have refused to declare their zone of origin,
instead saying they did not know or that they no longer had
family. Angolan officials have found this implausible and
suspicious and have jumped to the conclusion that those who
want to relocate to cities are either DRC nationals or UNITA
members who committed atrocities in their zones of origins
during the civil war. (Note: In October at the height of the
cross-border crisis, UNITA President Isaias Samakuva told us
he was worried that former UNITA members forcibly ejected
from DRC could potentially be targets of GRA mistreatment; he
did not cite specific examples.)


6. (C) Some camp officials were hesitant to provide any
information to USAID officials about the returnees without
permission from superiors because they were afraid of being
punished. Apparently the provincial director of the Ministry

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of Social Affairs and Reintegration (MINARS) and a camp
administrator have been suspended for providing information
returnees to unauthorized parties without approval. Katharina
Schnoring (protect),Resident IOM Chief of Mission, told DCM
that IOM and UN officials have also been held at arm's length
by some camp personnel.

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COMMENT
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7. (C) Post expects an international appeal on 14 December.
We were encouraged during the early weeks of the crisis by
the GRA's engagement with UN agencies and subsequently with
NGOs. We hope that recent sour incidents between government
authorities and international representatives do not portend
a shift in the GRA's heretofore openness to engage with the
international community. Meanwhile we await the substance of
the anticipated December 14 appeal.
MOZENA