JRS in Zambia

Refugees in Zambia

Refugee Problems

Meheba

Nangweshi

Northern

Peace Centre

Policy

Refugee Children

Refugees in Zambia

Zambia has a long tradition of hosting refugees that flee civil and political strife from throughout the region. In fact, Mayukwayukwa – in Western Province– is the oldest refugee settlement in Africa, established in 1966. The bulk of Zambia’s current load of refugees comes from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia, but in the past it has hosted refugees from Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Zambia hosts at present around 260,000 refugees. More than three quarters of them come from Angola. They are distributed in spontaneous settlements along the borders, refugee settlements, refugee camps and urban areas.

Refugee locations in Zambia include both camps and settlements. Camps do not have land available for cultivation, while settlements have. This makes a big difference in the case of refugee populations with a rural background. A camp means indefinite dependence on food aid, while a settlement resembles more a Zambian village.