UNHCR repatriates almost 14,000 Angolans; stepping up pace ahead of deadline
The UN refugee agency has announced the repatriation of almost 14,000 Angolan refugees since last November and is stepping up the pace of returns before refugee status ends for tens of thousands of Angolans at the end of this month. UNHCR spokesman, Adrian Edwards, explained to journalists in Geneva that group refugee status will formally end on June 30 for people who fled Angola during the country's 1965-75 war of independence from Portugal and during the subsequent civil war, which ended in 2002. "UNHCR launched a new assisted return programme in late 2011 to help Angolans return home from nearby countries, and we are now accelerating that programme," Edwards said. "As of June 2, some 13,700 Angolans had gone back with our help, including over 11,000 from Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]. Some 35,000 more have asked for help in getting back before refugee status ends." The recommendation to end group refugee status for Angola...