Lusaka-Zambia: The Government of the Republic of Zambia has today granted permanent residency permits to 11 former Angolan refugees, marking the start of a process that will lead to 10,000 Angolans allowed to permanently live in the country.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has welcomed the development as a landmark in bringing hope and consolidating lasting solutions for former Angolan refugees who have opted to remain in Zambia after the end of the voluntary repatriation.
At a ceremony at the Ministry of Home Affairs' Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, witnessed by the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, T. Alexander Aleinikoff, the Zambian Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Nickson Chilangwa, presented the 11 permanent resident permits to the Angolans. The Deputy Minister expressed Zambia's commitment to the local integration, commending the Governments of Denmark, Japan, Canada and United States for contributing initial funds to the local integration programme. The Deputy Minister urged other donors to come forward in support of the programme by funding socio-economic developments in the hosting and resettlement areas. He urged all the former Angolan refugees who have qualified for local integration to continue being law abiding.
Zambia has pledged to locally integrate 10, 000 eligible former Angolan refugees and 4, 000 Rwandans. So far, close to 6, 000 Angolans who applied for local integration, under various immigration categories, have been screened and are eligible. Some of the eligible Angolans have been living in Zambia for 48 years now. In December 2012, the Government of Zambia granted permanent residency to three Angolans from the same family to mark the start of the local integration process. In a show of commitment by the Zambian Government to the local integration programme, on Thursday 28 August, at Meheba Refugee Settlement in Solwezi, North Western Province, Mr. Chilangwa at a ceremony graced by the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, presented letters of offer for land to some former Angolan refugees eligible for local integration. Each eligible Angolan family will receive five hectares.
Mr Aleinikoff, who was visiting Zambia to meet with authorities regarding the implementation of the Strategic Framework for the Local Integration of Former Refugees in Zambia, described the occasion as very important in moving the local integration programme forward, and urged the Angolan and Zambian Governments to scale-up the processing of necessary documentation for the issuance of the residency permits to all eligible Angolans. He also confirmed the full support of UNHCR to this program.
Zambia currently hosts 54, 046 refugees and other persons of concern.
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