Urgent aid needed for over 9,000 children fleeing violence in DR Congo to Angola – UNICEF
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 2 June 2017 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, Urgent aid needed for over 9,000 children fleeing violence in DR Congo to Angola – UNICEF, 2 June 2017, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/593805ef4.html [accessed 22 June 2017] |
| 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. |
More than 9,000 children who have arrived at two temporary reception centres in a northern Angolan city from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need urgent support, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today.
“The protection of children, nutrition, access to safe drinking water and sanitation, as well as prevention of disease, have been UNICEF's immediate concerns – and actions – since the arrival of refugees in Lunda Norte,” said Abubacar Sultan, the UNICEF Representative in Angola.
UNICEF, provincial authorities and other partners are providing assistance – life-saving interventions in health, water and adequate sanitation services – to children and their families who arrive at the camps in the city of Dundo, after days, often weeks, of travelling on foot. To date, more than 25,000 people have arrived in Angola, having fled violence in the DRC's Kasai province.
UNICEF is also taking action to protect 200 children who have arrived at the camps without their families.
The agency has trained social welfare workers on how to register these children because registration is critical to ensure the safety of children and protect them from trafficking, abuse and exploitation. By registering children, there is also a greater chance that they can be reunited with their families.
UNICEF and partners have identified temporary placement of the unaccompanied children in a friendly and protective environment while efforts are made to trace their biological families, Mr. Sultan said.
