Annan's envoy in Angola to see how UN can help 're-energize' peace process

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser for Africa is in Angola for a series of meetings to determine how the UN can best help the country re-energize the peace process, a UN spokesman in New York said today.

During his weeklong visit, Ibrahim Gambari will hold consultations with Government leaders, politicians and representatives of civil society. He is expected to brief the Security Council on his trip next Friday, the spokesman said.

The raging conflict in Angola continues to drive new flows of refugees into Zambia, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Since the beginning of December, a total of 1,184 Angolan refugees have crossed into Zambia's Western Province, UNHCR spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva. In the last three months, an estimated 6,700 Angolan refugees have arrived at Nangweshi and are being assisted at the temporary site. Transfers from the border are organized daily. Angolans now constitute 214,524, out of the 274,000 refugees currently hosted by Zambia.

Meanwhile, refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were also arriving in Northern Zambia, reporting isolated skirmishes and mobilization of troops from both the Government and rebel forces in the area of Fizi, in Eastern DRC, Mr. Colville said.

"The persisting instability in Eastern Congo over the months has caused many civilians to flee to Zambia, which now hosts a total of 50,000 Congolese refugees," the spokesman said. "Depending on how the situation in Eastern Congo evolves, especially the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, arrivals are expected to continue at the present rate of at least 250 per week."