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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Angola justifies expulsion of Congolese

Searching for diamonds
Angolan Foreign Minister Assuncao dos Anjos says his country has the right to expel undocumented workers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially those who come to take part in the diamond trade.

Dos Anjos said on Monday that the two countries have reached an agreement over tit-for-tat expulsions that ended this month.

However, Radio Nacional de Angola also quoted him as saying, "It's obvious that Angola will never give up the right to deport citizens whose actions are not beneficial to our country."

Tens of thousands of people have been expelled from both countries, some with nothing but their clothes.

Over the past few years, Angola has expelled hundreds of thousands of impoverished Congolese immigrants who have poured across its long porous border to search for diamonds in the crocodile-infested rivers of the Lunda provinces.

Angola is the world's fifth biggest diamond exporter and is one of Africa's two biggest oil producers, with Nigeria its only serious rival.

FTP/HGL

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