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THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) public information assistant, Kelvin Shimo has said the number of Congolese refugees Zambia is repatriating back to their home country has continued to rise with a total of 33,424 since 2007.

Mr Shimo said in a statement yesterday that the Congolese voluntary repatriation started in 2007 and was being undertaken by the Government and the UNHCR with the support from the International Organisation for Migration (MOI) and World Food Programme (WFP).

He said in 2007, about 7,323 Congolese refugees were repatriated from Zambia, while in 2008, about 9,700 returned home.

Mr Shimo said in 2009 alone, about 16,401 had been repatriated from Zambia, bringing the total number of Congolese refugees repatriated in three years to 33,424 as of 24 November 2009.

He said on November 24, 442 Congolese refugees repatriated by road from Mwange and Kala camps in Northern Zambia for Pweto and Mbola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing the total number of refugees repatriated from Zambia in 2009 alone to 16,401.

"The convoy on Tuesday November 24 marked the 34th convoy this year in the Congolese voluntary repatriation programme. We have helped to make the lives of many refugees more humane by finding durable solutions for a considerable number of them through the voluntary repatriation, as these returnees are able to restart their lives back home," Mr Shimo said.

He said two weeks ago, a high level delegation of senior DRC government officials and UNHCR staff from Kinshasa and Katanga visited Kala and Mwange refugee camps emphasising the need for the refugees to go home now that there was peace in their home country.

The DRC officials appealed to their nationals to return and help rebuilding their country and most of Congolese refugees from Zambia who fled their home country a decade ago were returning to Katanga Province.

Mr Shimo said the refugees were given a return package upon arrival in DRC which consist of food and non food items.

He said in addition, in 2009 alone, a total number of 1,854 Angolans had been repatriated from Zambian's Mayukwayukwa and Maheba refugee settlements in Western and North-Western Provinces respectively, to Angola.

This was in addition to 74,000 Angolans repatriated between 2003 and 2007.

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