11 Gambians among foreign citizens detained in Angola

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11 Gambians among foreign citizens detained in Angola

Tuesday, 01 February 2011 05:58

JollofNews - Eleven Gambians are among at least 51 foreign nationals detained in Angola, according to the Angolan press agency, Angop.
The detainees, who included citizens from nearby DR Congo and elsewhere in West Africa, were arrested Sunday by the Angolan National Police (PNA), as they tried to enter illegally, the authorities said. President_Jose_Eduardo_Dos_Santos

Angola’s oil and diamond sectors provide attractive employment opportunities for many Africans who, because of highly restricted immigration policies, often try to enter the country through its porous borders with neighboring DRC. They often enter the Angolan capital, Luanda, from Mwanda, an area in neighboring DRC.
But Gambian citizens who go to Angola are mostly involved in the diamond sector, which is one of the most lucrative in the world.
The Angolan authorities have however recently heightened measures of preventing immigrants from entering its territory.
A local police commander said Monday the police forces were ready to secure the border inviolable to prevent anyone from entering Angola illegally. Commissioner Francisco Paiva told Angop that his corporation would not allow foreign citizens to continue entering the country illegally.
According to the news wire, 16 of the detainees are from Guinea, 5 from Guinea Bissau, 6 from Mali, 4 from DR Congo, 8 from Côte d’Ivoire and 2 from Senegal.
Written by Augustine Jatta