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Government of Zambia, UNHCR and partners start relocation of Congolese refugees to Mantapala settlement

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The Government of the Republic of Zambia, with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, and partners, have today started the relocation of Congolese refugees from the congested Kenani Transit Centre in Nchelenge District, in northern Zambia, to a newly opened permanent site, Mantapala Refugee Settlement, 40 kilometres from the Transit Centre within the same district.

The first convoy of buses to the newly designated refugee settlement, today, carried 150 Congolese refugees. Several relocation convoys will follow in the coming days, depending on weather conditions and on-going preparations on the ground in Mantapala in terms of health facilities, shelter water supply and other facilities.

The road leading to Mantapala is generally in a poor state, but the Zambia National Service (ZNS) – a Government Military wing specialised in road construction and land clearing, among other things, has repaired damaged portions of the main access road and is clearing the refugee site for the new settlement in readiness for the relocation.

Over the last five months, refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been crossing into Zambia through various entry points in the north, fleeing from conflict in Haute Katanga’s Pweto area and Moba, in Tanganyika Province. The majority of the refugees arriving through Chiengi border area, are hosted at Kenani, while those who cross through other entry points in Mpulungu, Nsumbu and Kaputa, are taken to two of the older settlements, Meheba and Mayukwayukwa – in the North West and West of the country, respectively.

Kenani, which has reached its maximum holding capacity, is currently hosting over 14, 000 Congolese refugees, with an average of 100 new arrivals registered on a daily basis at Kenani Transit Centre. Mantapala Refugee Settlement has the capacity to host a population of up to 20, 000 refugees and members of the host community. UNHCR, working with the Government, sister UN agencies and other partners, are putting up facilities and will provide humanitarian assistance, using a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) model, which provides for the settlement of refugees alongside the host community to ensure that they share the facilities provided by humanitarian actors, development partners and the Government in the Refugee Settlement and the host areas.

However, in order to enable the Government and the UNHCR to successfully develop the Settlement and relocate all the refugees from the Transit Centre, funding is a critical requirement. There is an urgent need to fund the provision of all the necessary services and the establishment of facilities at Mantapala whose estimated budget is above US$32, 279, 067. The Government and UNHCR would like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude to various donors who have pledged and provided funding for the work that has been done so far.

“We would like to reiterate our appeal to other donors and indeed the private sector to come forward to assist the Government during this emergency,” said Mr. Abdon Mawere, Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

When relocated and settled in the new Settlement the refugees will be able to engage in livelihood activities, such as farming, and will be put on a path to regain their dignity and become self-reliant. If the stories of the Congolese refugees who are currently at Kenani Transit Centre are anything to go by, more arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are expected in 2018 as a result of continued conflict in that country. The need for a permanent settlement to host the large numbers of refugees expected is a matter of necessity. Zambia currently hosts an estimated total of 37, 812 Congolese refugees in the settlements and in urban areas.

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For more information: Mr Abdon Mawere, Commissioner for Refugees, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of the Republic of Zambia, 0974666422 Kelvin Shimoh, UNHCR Zambia Public Information Unit, 0979585832