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Signs of rebirth and reconciliation in Angola as returnees settle back home
13 Mar 2006 After nearly three decades of civil war in Angola, thousands of refugees have come home. But now they are facing the challenge of re-establishing themselves in a country which for many of their children is a foreign land. Coping with resentment of those who remained in Angola during the war as well as the lack of employment opportunities, are just some of the difficulties the returnees face. But in spite of the problems, there are real signs of hope. -
Squatter camp in South Africa underscores need for urban refugee policy review
23 Feb 2006 Some 300 asylum seekers have set up camp outside a government office in South Africa's capital, awaiting their turn to get a permit legitimising their stay in the country. The huge backlog of cases and the precarious living conditions underscores the need for the current review of UNHCR's policy urban refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. -
Micro-credit scheme gives refugees in Angola chance to end dependency
5 Jan 2006 Henri, a Congolese refugee living in Angola since 1978, is one of the first to benefit from a UNHCR-funded small-loan programme to boost his business and break the chain of dependency that has affected the majority of the 14,000 refugees in the country. After seeing the impact on people like Henri, more refugees are becoming interested in the scheme. -
UNHCR's Angola repatriation operation draws to a close with last flight
20 Dec 2005 After more than three years, UNHCR's repatriation operation to bring home Angolans living in exile during the country's 27-year-long war, has drawn to a close with a last flight of returnees from Botswana. An estimated half a million Angolans have returned to their war-ravaged country since the peace accords were signed in April 2002, some 123,000 with UNHCR assistance. -
New methodology helps refugee children in Southern Africa deal with violence
12 Dec 2005 In a series of meetings in South Africa to build on a groundbreaking study that used art to reveal the effects of violence on refugee children, the children and refugee organizations are following up by developing new ways to tackle the problem. -
Extra plane provides boost to Angolan repatriation
1 Nov 2005 The acquisition of a second aircraft has given a significant boost to the number of Angolan refugees able to return home each week from Zambia, with a total of 22,000 now expected to return from Zambia by the end of this year. -
Angolan returnees in vanguard of fight against superstition
31 Oct 2005 In some countries, witchcraft has been reduced to a once-a-year joke to be celebrated with pumpkins and pointed hats at Halloween. In others, such as Angola, it is still a matter of life and death despite the valiant efforts of a group of dedicated returnees to steer their compatriots away from superstition and encourage good citizenship instead. -
Voluntary repatriation of Angolans accelerates as new corridor opens up in the north
19 Oct 2005 Another repatriation corridor has opened up for Angolan refugees returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the safe arrival on Wednesday of a convoy of more than 200 refugees in their home area of Sakandica in the northern province of Uíge. -
Angolan refugees return home from DRC on a road rebuilt by UNHCR
12 Oct 2005 As the Angolan voluntary repatriation enters its last months, UNHCR has opened up a new corridor for returns from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the diamond-rich province of Lunda Norte. Last week, refugees started travelling a new route home on a road rebuilt by UNHCR.