Luanda — The US government has made available an additional financing of 650,000 dollars for the operation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the voluntary repatriation programme of Angolan refugees.

According to a note from the US Embassy, which reached ANGOP last Friday, in the 2010-2012 period the United States contributed with one million dollars for the IOM to facilitate the safe return and reintegration of Angolans repatriating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This additional financing, explains the note, will enable the IOM to work more closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Assistance and Social Reintegration Ministry, as well as the governments in the SADC region, aimed at helping the remaining Angolan refugees to return home and get reintegrated in society in the year 2012.

The US government, from 2002 to 2007, made available over 35 million dollars for the repatriation and reintegration programme of Angolan refugees, thus backing the efforts of the UNHCR, the IOM and other organisations that that have been helping the government of Angola in its process of bringing home and reintegrating over 400,000 Angolan citizens that took refuge in neighbouring countries.

Still according to the note, with the end of the civil war in Angola, the majority of Angolans residing abroad will no longer be eligible to afford the refugee status as of June 2012.