23/12/2014 / ANGOLA

Immigrants run for cover as Angola rounds up hundreds



The neigbhourhood of Hoji Ya Henda, in Luanda, where many immigrants from West African countries run little stores. Screen grab from a video published on YouTube.


This weekend, authorities in Luanda launched a massive crackdown on immigrants, arresting hundreds, most of them from West African countries including Guinea, Ivory Coast and Senegal. Our Observers told us that many immigrants who weren’t arrested are now hiding in their homes, terrified at the idea of ending up in an Angolan prison.

According to the sparse information relayed by state media, 2,161 people were reportedly stopped by the police this weekend, and 884 of them, who reportedly did not have proper documentation, were arrested. According to Angola’s Interior Ministry, the majority of these people came from other African countries, but not exclusively: 300 Chinese citizens were detained Sunday, though all but 30 of them were quickly freed following negotiations with the Chinese embassy. All those arrested are currently being kept at a detention centre for illegal immigrants called Trinita.

http://observers.france24.com/conten...-luanda-prison