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LUSAKA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Former Rwandan and Angolan refugees on Thursday commended the Zambian government over its decision to integrate them into communities after the cessation of their refugee status.
Angolan refugees lost their refugee status on June 30, 2012 when Zambia involved the cessation clause while Rwandan refugees lost their status on June 30, 2013.
However, the government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) launched a strategic framework for the local integration of the former refugees in 2014.
The former refugees, who are being integrated into communities in western and northwestern Zambia, have applauded the government for granting them permanent residency status and the UNHCR for the initial support in rehabilitation of infrastructure.
According to a statement released by the UNHCR after a meeting of stakeholders, the former refugees have however appealed for more donor support in infrastructure development in the newly created resettlement schemes.
While acknowledging that many former refugees are willing to move to the local integration resettlement schemes from the refugee camp side of Meheba in western Zambia and Mayukwayukwa in northwest, the former refugees feel that more work on access roads, clinics and schools is necessary to make life easier.
"We are happy with the plots of land given to us and the infrastructure built so far in the two resettlement schemes by UNHCR such as clinics, roads and primary schools, however, owing to the vastness of the settlements, we appeal to our donors to build more schools- especially a secondary school- and clinics to shorten the distances our children and pregnant mothers have to travel to seek medical assistance," 56-year-old Noah Kaholo, a former Angolan Refugee said.
Laura Lo Castro, the UNHCR Representative in Zambia hailed the integration program as being unique in Africa and beyond.
"We commend our donors for the continued support. We are confident that government and donor support to these areas will continue even after UNHCR phase out from the socio-economic component of the local integration program," she said.
Among some socio-economic activities being undertaken by the UNHCR are vocational training for youths, entrepreneurship and business mentoring and agricultural support, according to the statement.
It added that the government has expressed willingness to allow all former refugees eligible for the local integration to move to the two settlement schemes while their residence permits are being processed.
The local integration program targets to grant residency permits to over 4,000 former Rwandan refugees and 20,000 former Angolan refugees.
Zambia currently hosts about 56,928 people of concern in the two settlements, urban areas and those that are self-settled in five provinces around the country, according to the UNHCR. Enditem
