Zambia's Angolans to go home

Many Angolans are too frightened to return home

The voluntary repatriation of some of the 200,000 Angolans living in Zambia will begin next month, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

UN official Fisseha Yimer in the Zambian capital Lusaka said about 60,000 Angolan refugees would be helped to return home over the next two years.

Mr Yimer said the agency had received $11m in donations towards the cost of the programme, which is expected to cost $40m.

Hundreds of thousands of Angolans fled their country during nearly three decades of civil war which ended last year after the death of the rebel leader Jonas Savimbi.

But until now many have been reluctant to return to the former Portuguese colony fearing an outbreak of fresh fighting.

An estimated 500,000 people were killed in the civil war.

However, peace has held for over a year, although there is a heavy military presence on the streets.

Refugee problem

In April, the World Bank agreed a $100m support package for former combatants and their families.

Mr Yimer said the Angolan authorities had reported that the clearing of landmines in areas where the refugees would be settled had progressed well.

Zambia is home to more than 270,000 refugees. Of these, 211,000 are Angolans.

The rest are from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda.