With
Zambia's
1964 independence from the British Empire, many members of national liberation movements in neighbouring countries, including
Angola, found the country a hospitable base for their operations. However, eastern Angola (near the border with Zambia) was less densely populated than the northern region adjacent to
Zaire (now the
Democratic Republic of the Congo); Zaire and not Zambia thus because the primary destination for Angolan refugees in those days. Most of these refugees were of
Balovale ethnicity, an ethnic group also present in Zambia. The Zambian government aimed to move them away from the border; they were settled first at
Zambezi in
North-Western Province and in
Mayukwayukwa in
Western Province. Later, due to ethnic tensions, those in Zambezi were transferred to
Meheba near
Solwezi (also in Northwestern Province). The refugee population reached roughly 25,000 by 1972, despite efforts by the Zambian government to control the influx and return new arrivals to Angola. With the onset of the 1975
Angolan Civil War, the number of refugees began to expand, and repatriation efforts also came to a halt. The number would continue to expand; by 2001, it was estimated that there were 200,000 Angolan refugees in Zambia, making up about 77% of all refugees in the country. Rather than living in refugee camps or finding assistance through government resettlement schemes, many Angolan refugees settled on their own in Zambian villages. In 2002, a peace deal was brokered which ended the war. By 2006, an estimated 63,000 had repatriated to Angola. However, the term "repatriation" itself may be misleading; one study of Angolans in Zambia found that they saw themselves simply as villagers; relocating from their villages in Zambia to Angola was not perceived as going home, but in contrast as
leaving home in search of a better life. ==See also==