Funds urgently needed as Congolese refugee influx overwhelms services, warns UN agency

(UN News Centre) –  As refugees fleeing violence and communal tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to arrive in neighbouring Angola, the United Nations refugee agency has appealed for more resources to cope with the influx and to provide those coming with the support they urgently need. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 30,000 people have arrived in Angola’s Lunda Norte province since April and there are fears that the number could reach 50,000, with about 300-500 people arriving daily.“Angola is providing a warm welcome, but reception centres accommodating refugees, are full beyond their capacity and basic services cannot be maintained without immediate donor support,” said Valentin Tapsoba, the UNHCR’s Africa Bureau Director, in a news release today.

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