The number of Congolese asylum-seekers that have fled to Zambia from neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past one week has now gone over 1, 800.
According to Government authorities, over 1, 832 Congolese asylum-seekers crossed the border between Wednesday 30 August and 6 September 2017 through Chiengi’s Kamponge and surrounding border entry points in the District, situated north of Zambia.
From January to 29th August this year, a total of 2, 646 DRC asylum seekers crossed the border. This brings the total number of Congolese new arrivals between 1st January and 6th September 2017 to 4, 478.
While most of the new arrivals have presented themselves to authorities and UNHCR, others have temporarily settled within the host community, where they have close family links, but are being moved from the villages to a temporarily holding facility, pending relocation.
Traditional authorities in Chiengi have since requested the Government of Zambia to move all the new arrivals and put them under its care.
Some 1, 080 new arrivals are at a temporary holding centre at Ponda Secondary School on the outskirts of Chiengi. The Government and UNHCR have today started moving the Congolese to Nchelenge Transit Centre, further in-land, for on-ward relocation to Meheba Refugee Settlement, in North Western Zambia, 1, 300 km away, where all new arrivals in Zambia are being settled.
According to the new arrivals, generalised insecurity, characterized by clashes between Congolese and different militias around the towns of Pweto and Moba, has led to them fleeing to Zambia to seek asylum.
The new arrivals consist mainly of women and children. They have fled with a lot of hand luggage.
UNHCR is providing basic life-saving humanitarian assistance (food, water, sanitation, tents, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, kitchen sets and cloths) to the new arrivals.
UNHCR, jointly with Government requires urgent funding to assist the Government, and has reached out to various partners and donors for assistance to help with the logistics of relocation, put up basic facilities are at Nchelenge and open a new holding centre in Chiengi.
As of 31 July 2017, the total population of Congolese in Zambia (asylum-seekers and refugees) was 25, 467.
Zambia currently hosts some 59,195 refugees and others of concern, mostly from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Uganda. The vast majority reside in two refugee settlements – Mayukwayukwa in Western Province and Meheba in North Western Province, while others live in urban areas or are self-settled in various parts of the country.
We are one people, broke as we are, we should help those in need of shelter and provide an environment for them to live safe.
Africa will only be free when it forms one government
Mumbai Yachi’s relatives. Our relatives. Let them be and see what ll happen to the crime levels….. #myopinion
You are a heartless prick
I always get free ntwenu’s from refugees in exchange for food or favors. ANYONE who needs to test akasai ntwenu contact me at a fee. Iam in Meheba camp as security officer
Kikikikik!!! You are a very very “bed” man bwana officer!
Dear Ba LT,
In keeping with your Comments Policy, please note that this mentally retarded person with a retarded pseudo name of @ANYOKO has put a very evil, abusive and offensive comment towards vulnerable refugees – women and young girls – that should be DELETED. This is NOT funny, and I trust LT will protect its integrity from scumbags like this, in the eyes of respected life-sustaining international organisations like UNHCR. Clearly, he would not care if what he has said happened to his own mother and sisters in distress because he does NOT have any respect for his own mother and sisters, much less other mothers and their daughters in distress.
This is what the AU was established to do. Remove despots from nations. If they can remove the Gambia one, why not the Rwandese causing chaos in the Congo?
Lets learn from this as a country. Lets not take peace for granted. Imagine what happened in Namwala was countrywide. Unfortunately for Zambians there are very few countries to run to.
HH should flee to South Africa or to Congo DR! Then Zambians will enjoy the peace!
Namwala!
Is this article talking about HH ? Stop obsessing and stick to the topic, HH is Zambian
Welcome to Zambia our brothers and sisters. Feel at home..
They are welcome. Everybody deserves to live in peace and dignity. Peace is not to be taken for granted, but the possibility to enjoy peace in a foreign country is only a privilige and not a right to be taken for granted.
THE WORST PART OF THESE PEOPLE IS THAT THEY DON’T APPRECIATE WHAT ZAMBIA DOES FOR THEM. THEY EVEN BURN OUR ZAMBIAN TRUCK DRIVERS WHO ARE DELIVERING RELIEF MATERIALS TO THEM. ANYWAY, YOU GAVE US PEDICLE ROAD, THOUGH, YOU WANT TO EVEN START CHARGING US FOR BUILDING IT WHENEVER CROSSING YOUR COUNTRY. ZAMBIA OWES NO AFRICAN COUNTRY ANYTHING. THOSE PEOPLE WE KEEP- NO ECONOMIC STRINGS ARRANGEMENT ARE ATTACHED. SO, BANE WE DESERVE SOME AMOUNT OF RESPECT.
God protect these people.
I agree with Peter. In good times Congolese at their borders used to ill treat Zambians passing through or visiting Congo now Zaire. It is said they would charge an exorbitant fee for any Zambian passing through their border post who had grey hair. Imagine!
Yea but that’s not our quality, we are better than that.
Africa’s richest country with wealth the citizens have never seen. The Belgians stole this vast wealth before tyrant Mobutu took over now its Kabila’s turn. Cry the beloved country
Ba LT please DELETE comment #3 its very offensive to a vulnerable group of people.
Let us assist these people.
Africans have got a homework to do…how can we keep on fighting our own brothers in our home lands