Luanda, Angola – Despite rampant accusations of unjust detention, violence, and sexual assault, the head of Angola’s border police blames Congolese refugees for his country’s inability to control its diamond market and, therefore, its chance at economic recovery.  Jorge Antunes has said that more than 10,000 illegal immigrants were found and deported in July alone.  He claims that it is their presence that threatens Angola’s floundering economy.

The two countries, who are generally allies, are at odds over the 2,000 km, porous border that has allowed the Congolese in.  Congo has accused Angolan troops of trespassing over the border, and Angola responded that they must do this in order to stop the mass exodus into their country.  Antunes told Reuters that, “They think this is the new El Dorado.  Authorities in the Congo have done absolutely nothing to stop its citizens from coming to Angola.”

During the war that raged from 1998-2003, an estimated 5.4 million people were killed.  Now, despite the tenuous peace agreement in 2003, the army and rebel groups continue to attack villages and kill civilians.  Violence against women has become such a pandemic that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke Monday on the issue, telling the Congolese in Kinshasa that the situation is “truly one of mankind’s greatest atrocities”.  

Because of the brutality in Congo, tens of thousands of people have crossed into Angola, looking for diamonds in the crocodile-infested northern rivers.  These rivers deliver almost 25% of Angola’s diamond revenue.  In a country that is among the world’s top 5 diamond exporters, the government is protective of their natural resources.  Although they claim to have no knowledge of any human rights violations, human rights groups report that immigrants have been detained for months and then forced to walk up to 100km to the Congo border.  The United Nations recently reported that assaults on women prior to release were common.

Nonetheless, the Congolese, who outnumber Angolans 4-to-1, continue to flee into the neighboring country in the hope of finding work and a better life.  Since the peace agreement, the DRC government has done very little to provide recovery relief to its citizens, leaving them unemployed, often homeless, and without education.  Angola’s military and rebels don’t offer much of an improvement, but, if the immigrants are not caught, they have a small chance to find a diamond or two to sell on the black market and go elsewhere.

In the meantime, the Angolan government continues its attempt to seal the border, adding 7,000 troops to guard it.  Says Antunes: “They cross the border into our country and we are the ones left to suffer the consequences.” 

To Congolese refugees, ‘suffering’ is a relative term.

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