Advertisement Banner
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Advertisement Banner

Government to treat the Angolan refugees as prohibited immigrants after June 30th

Share

The refugee status of Angolan refugees in Zambia will cease by June 30 this year and after the expiry date, government will regard the refugees as prohibited immigrants.

This is why the government has advised Angolan refugees in Zambia to register for voluntary repatriation.

Home affairs Permanent secretary Max Nkole says the recommendation to declare the end of the Angolan refugee status was reached after a joint consultative meeting.

This was between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Zambian government and the Angolan government.

Mr. Nkole said this at Maheba refugee settlement in Solwezi which is home to 8 thousand Angolan refugees.

He says the voluntary repatriation is not negotiable because the situation in their country has normalized in the last 10 years.

Zambia has hosted the Angolan refugees since 1961 when they fled their country due to armed conflict.

UNHCR country representative Joyce Mends-Clore also urged the Angolan refugees to voluntarily register for repatriation as there is no need for them to remain refugees when things have changed in their country.

And Angolan government representative JOAO Francisco has assured the refugees that life in their country has normalized and appealed to them to go back and develop the country.

ZNBC

31 COMMENTS

  1. These people should be given an option of becoming citizens since they have naturalised. If they can speak English and are able to support themselves without assistance from govt, I do not see any reason why they can not integrate.

    • Lol, I beg to differ! There are over 8000 people so how? And supporting themselves could also mean they are perfoming illegal acts or taking up jobs that Zambians could very well use so  they really should leave!

  2. I AGREE WITH YOU #3. THEY HAVE LIVED IN ZAMBIA FOR DECADES AND SO SHOULD CHOOSE TO BE ZAMBIAN OR NOT INSTEAD OF JUST FORCING THEM TO GO TO THE LIFE THEY ARE NO USED TO. OTHERWISE THIS IS CRUELTY.

  3. I CAN NOW CHANGE MY CITIZENSHIP, LUANDA HERE I COME, I CHOOSE TO BE ANGOLANO THAN ZAMBIAN, ANYWAY WATS THERE IN ZAMBIA? 

  4. I agree that the Angolans should be allowed to remain in the country as citizens, there is no way you can call it voluntary repatriation when it is forced. Voluntary means there is an option. May be as Zambians we can do a petition online as well as paper based and presented to the government as this is a matter of public interest. If us the citizens want the Angolans to remain why should the government force them out. We are the people that elected the people in government therefore we should have a say in this. LT lets have a petion going, if you agree with me bloggers lets do something about this and let LT help us if they can if they cant Lets still do something about it. These people can intergrate and live just like everyone else if we have been hosting them from 1961 why let them go

  5. cont from 6…now. These people are even more Zambian than some Zambians and how about those who were born in the refugee camps are they also refugees to be repatriated to their homeland they have never been before? while the home they know is Zambia. Government has to be serious about this. The people have been in Zambian for over 10 years and as we have seen 1961 which is over 40 years and you tell them to go back home by June. Its too long a time to have lived in and country and just go back just like that. accept the fact that they are now Zambian.

  6. Trigo #6-7 I understand well your point.. According to statement signed, these people will not be treated as refuges after 30.6 therefore, it is up to them either to return home or seek residence permit in Zambia. You know that refuges has a special term and are entittled to benefits based on the understanding that they are there running away from war in their home country.. Now that Savimbi was murdered paving way to end of civil war, these refuges saw their status undermined = no more civil war or conflict. Hence stripping them the refuge status :(

  7. Some of these were born in Zambia if they have been here since 1961. Therefore, let the option of becoming Zambian citizens become available to those who want it.

  8. Yeah, let them make a choice. Don’t call it ‘voluntary’ if you’re forcing them. Europe is no longer at war. Do you hear of countries that housed refugees from there forcefully repatriating them? They all had choice to stay or get back. Just don’t accept any new comers on the basis of refugee status from Angola.

  9. I have a sister who got married to an Angolan refugee in 1989, as a country are we chasing my nephews and nieces out of Zambia since their dad was also born in Zambia,specific mayukwayukwa. It is his parents who ran into Zambia in 1961. He was born and schooled in Zambia,my nieces have even children of their own so my brother I law is a grandpa. Zambia has to just find a way,give those who want to stay citizenship not this bullshit of voluntary repatriation,it’s sad the minister does not understand what voluntary mean

    • Well dummie, you just answered your own question! Your sister who happens to be “Zambian” married an Angolan so don’t you think he would be eligible to stay based on marital status! Gosh!

    • #SMH, the immigration laws in Zambia are different for men and women. For a Zambian man, it is much each easier for his foreign wife to become a citizen than it is for a Zambian woman.

  10. There are two types of Angolan Refugees, the old and the new.

    The old refugees have been in Zambia since 1961 officially and the new Angolan refugees came in between the 1990s and early 2000s. The new refugees make up about 95% percent while the old only make up about 5% percent.

    One can not therefore expect new refugees to be given the option of citizenship can we?

    The old refugees should be treated on a case by case basis.

    A lot of good things are going on in Angola right now so these people need to be given a lot of advice to make the right choice.

    It is better for the new refugees to be returned so that they can start to re-integrate in Angola.

    This is the right decision.

  11. Intergrate them imwe bampopwe.Thats why they call us names wherenever we got other countries. We become insensitive to other human issues. 1961 is a long time, even our brothers who have lived in other countries for long have been given permanent residence/citizens!

  12. We have a dictator in Zambia as a President so Angolans you better go back because this man will make you be miserable. This explains why so many refugees from Rwanda and Burundi left Zambia for USA and Europe. Zambia is not a stable country because we have lunatic who can not negotiate.

  13. @12….as long as someone was given residence as ‘refugee’, no matter how long or short they’ve been in the country, repatriation should not be forced even if their country of origin is no longer at war.

    A guy walks to Zambia from Angola…just 12 years ago. Gets residential permit as a refugee. Gets sponsored to finish a degree in mining at UNZA. Finds work on the CB and starts a family…and you want to forcefully repatriate the guy back to a regime that could not protect him in the first place?

    Angola is a police state with one of the most unforgiving dictator at the helm who detests Angolans in the diaspora, especially the learned ones.

  14. I think most of you are missing the point! They are “refugees” regardless of how long they have been in Zambia! And believe it or not, more of them are still coming into the country. So while it is a bit cruel to just give them a deadline and have them leave, it is a step that must be taken to prevent more people from coming in! I mean people c’mon, Zambia cannot even afford to take care of its own, what more people coming in? Next thing you will start complaning when you see Angolans with good jobs and high positions! Why, coz they are taking our spots! so yes this is a necessary move!

  15. UNLESS I READ THE TITLE WRONG – It would be VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO change a GENUINE REFUGEE’s STATUS to being a PROHIBITED IMMIGRANT (P.I.), UNLESS THEY HAVE COMMITTED A HEINOUS CRIME or POLITICALLY SUBVERTING THEIR HOST COUNTRY!
    If they voluntarily desire not to go back, THE NEXT BEST CLASSIFICATION WOULD BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. I don’t think the United Nations would agree with “P.I.’ing” REFUGEES ON THE BASIS being advanced!!!

  16. By the way in on November 16, 2010 President Rupaih Banda went to Angola and he guaranteed and granted the Angolan Refugees in Zambia,Zambian Citizenship, see Zambianwatchdog

  17. Is the need for oil from Angola the reason to force these Angolans to go back? these are our brothers and sisters and they are more Zambians than most Chinese and Indians whom we have given Zambian citizenship. Give these Angolans the option to be permanent residents than forcing them to go back. I agree too that LT should write a petition for us to sign online to our govt, the Angolan govt & to the UN. What wrong have these Angolans done to be classified as Prohibited Immigrants? You don’t see the UN telling Australian, or any other Western govt to force the Sri Lankan or Burmese refuges etc to be sent back to their countries of origin against their will. Let us treat the Angolan brothers and sisters with dignity and in humane manner.

  18. Give them a chance to be Zambians if they want, some of these people have lived in Zambia since 1961, that’s quite a long time and take Zambia to be their home. It’s time we learnt to tolerate one another. We are all AFRICANS.

  19. The new PS of North Western Province walked into Zambia from Angola, now Zambian citizen, please bwana PS, protect your citizens from Angola to remain in Zambia just as you were protected to have been a Zambian.

  20. Indeed those born in Zambia should remain.It is the only country they know.This should also include refugees doing fine in other areas.

  21. Dear Zambians, Am one of the guys who were born in zambia, am back in angola and my brothers and sisters are still in zambia.For me its batter for my family stay in zambia than coming here. Why ? they are used there. They have every thing for there life. To start a new life its hard. Families who remained here thay dont care for us, its like not our families. Am planning to come back and apply citizenship in zambia. Zambia should not change, let remain zambia chalo cha kwa lesa.:x:

Comments are closed.

Read more

Advertisement Banner

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading