Angola: Update to Response to Information Request AGO32306.F dated 23 July 1999 on the situation of members of the Bakongo (Kongo) ethnic group and their treatment by the current government
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 11 April 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AGO34237.FE |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Angola: Update to Response to Information Request AGO32306.F dated 23 July 1999 on the situation of members of the Bakongo (Kongo) ethnic group and their treatment by the current government, 11 April 2000, AGO34237.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4bdf610.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Research Directorate was unable to find any recent information on the situation of members of the Bakongo ethnic group in the sources it consulted.
However, in an article on the Bakongo of Angola published toward the end of July 1999, Milella Silvia writes: "The Bakongo continue to be at risk politically (they have 2.5% of the legislature and make up 14% of the population)" (Minorities at Risk 21 July 1999 ). The same source further indicates: "It is dangerous to be a Bakongo or Ovimbundu in Luanda [the Angolan capital] as it is assumed by the MPLA [the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola] Government that he/she is also a supporter of UNITA" [an armed rebellion in opposition to the current regime in Angola] (ibid.). Furthermore, "UN observers reported gross human right [sic] abuses, including murders and disappearances, by the army and police in 1998 in the provinces of Uige and Zaire, populated mostly by Bakongos". (Minorities at Risk 21 July 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Minorities at Risk. 21 July 1999. Milella Silvia. "Bakongo of Angola."
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential 1999-February 2000.
L'Autre Afrique 1999-January 2000.
IRB Databases.
Country Reports 1999. Feburary 2000. Version électronique.
Resource Centre Country Files: Angola. 1999 à ce jour.
Keesing's Record of World Events 1999.
Le Nouvel Afrique-Asie 1999-February 2000.
LEXIS/NEXIS.
REFWORLD.
West Africa 1999.
World News Connection (WNC).
Internet Sites, including :
Africa News Service.
Amnesty International Online.
Human Rights Watch Online.
International Crisis Group (ICG).
Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA).
ReliefWeb.
