DUNDO, Angola, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Angolan authorities on Monday started to assess the situation of refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accommodated in Angola, as part of the repatriation process it undertook with the UN.
A ministerial delegation led by Angolan Defense Minister Salviano de Jesus Sequeira, and Faustina Fernandes Alves, minister of social action, families and promotion of women, are in eastern Lunda Norte province to conduct the assessment.
Their visit came after at least 8,000 refugees out of the overall 23,600 located in Lovua, a city in Lunda Norte, abruptly walked towards Angola's border with the DRC on Sunday.
The Angolan government is negotiating with the remaining refugees to dissuade them from returning to the DRC without the creation of logistical condition for their relocation.
The recommendation for remaining at the Lovua refugee field was issued by the relevant parties involved in the repatriation process, namely Angola, the DRC and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In June, some 85 percent of the refugees expressed willingness to return home, saying that the causes that forced them to abandon their country no longer existed.
Earlier negotiations have decided that the Angolan authorities needed to soon reach an agreement with the DRC for compliance with repatriation norms, and speed up Angola/DRC/UNHCR tripartite meeting to determine the date for the beginning of the repatriation process.
Congolese refugees have been found in eastern Lunda Norte province since May 2017.
