Military

DATE=11/03/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=UNHCR / ANGOLA / CONGO (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-268795

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United Nations Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, says thousands of Angolan refugees fleeing intensified fighting between the government and UNITA rebels have begun crossing into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

TEXT: After days of waiting on the Angolan side of the border, the United Nations Refugee Agency says the Congolese authorities have given permission for an estimated 18-thousand Angolan refugees to cross into the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The refugees, who fled intensified fighting in Angola's Lunda Norte province, will go to Kahemba in the D-R-C. The remote region already hosts 10-thousand Angolans who fled during earlier stages of the conflict.

U-N-H-C-R spokesman, Kris Janowski, says some refugees reportedly have crossed into the D-R-C in the past few days. But he adds it is impossible to verify how many.

///JANOWSKI ACT///

We've got another group of about 10-thousand fresh refugees crossing at another place 250 kilometers west. So, we've got quite a few people crossing. In fact, if all the figures are confirmed, we are going to end up with some 50-thousand fresh refugees crossing from Angola into the D-R-C within the next few days.

///END ACT///

Mr. Janowski says village chiefs report about 10-thousand Angolans have crossed to Kosongo-Lunda, joining another 10-thousand refugees who recently arrived there.

The D-R-C already hosts 170-thousand Angolan refugees. If the new influx continues, that figure will go well over 200-thousand.

Mr. Janowski says the logistics of getting food and other relief supplies to the new refugees is very difficult.

///2ND JANOWSKI ACT///

We've got a couple of trucks on their way to the area. Three more trucks will be sent by the end of this week. But, there are huge problems of diesel fuel, which is really running very low in the area. So, basically organizing every truck to go on that one-thousand kilometer journey is quite a feat of organization in terms of fuel, in terms of logistics and so on and so forth.

///END ACT///

The Angolan government and UNITA rebel movement have been fighting on and off ever since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and about one quarter of Angola's population of 12 million has been uprooted.

(Signed)

NEB/LS/GE/KBK