DATE=5/29/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N-H-C-R / CONGO (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262926
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations says it will repatriate
nearly two-thousand Congolese refugees from Angola.
Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the agency says it will
return the refugees to government-held, peaceful areas
in southern Congo-Kinshasa.
TEXT: The U-N refugee agency says an estimated 11-
thousand Congolese have taken refuge in Angola. So
far, one-thousand-850 of them have applied to go home.
Most of them are now living in the Viana camp, near
the Angolan capital, Luanda. They originate either
from the area of Lubumbashi in Congo's Katanga
province or from the area of Kananga in Kasai.
U-N-H-C-R Spokesman, Jacques Franquin says it may seem
strange that Congolese refugees in Angola would want
to return to a country which is in a state of turmoil.
But he says these people face a difficult choice since
life is not easy in either Congo-Kinshasa or Angola.
/// FRANQUIN ACT ONE ///
But, it is true that for people who are
refugees, the situation is better in the country
of origin, especially in this area of Lubumbashi
where it seems that the situation is quiet and
not subject to trouble, currently speaking. We
do not know about the future, of course.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Franquin says some of the refugees have been in
exile for 23-years. He says they have lost contact
with their family and friends, and they are somewhat
uncertain and anxious because they do not know what
they will find when they go home.
/// FRANQUIN ACT TWO ///
So, probably we will organize some pre-
assessment mission with some refugee leaders or
representatives of the refugee community to see
what is the situation for them in Lubumbashi,
what are the conditions of re- integration, and
see how it can work.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Franquin says the U-N refugee agency will start
airlifting the Congolese refugees home in mid-June.
He says transporting them overland is out of the
question because the roads are terrible and security
along the border cannot be guaranteed.
He says the refugees will be given a small amount of
money and some tools and equipment to help them get
started on their new lives. (SIGNED)
NEB/LS/JWH/RAE
29-May-2000 08:46 AM EDT (29-May-2000 1246 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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