500 DRC asylum seekers cross into Zambia

By O'brain Mwiinga

LUSAKA, Zambia

Zambia on Wednesday received over 500 asylum seekers from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the largest single entry of new arrivals recorded in three years.

Home Affairs Minister Steven Kampyongo in a statement said the asylum seekers were fleeing renewed political violence in the DRC.

"This new arrivals in Zambia [are] in addition to a sporadic and continuous stream that has characterized refugee inflows from the DRC into Zambia over the past three years," he said.

United Nations for High Commissioner of Refuges (UNHCR) Representative to Zambia, Pierrine Aylara confirmed the arrival of over 500 asylum seekers but was quick to suggest that the number could be higher than the one recorded.

"The UNHCR is conducting a head-count to ascertain exact figures as the new arrivals are entering Zambia through different border entry points," Aylara said in a statement.

According to official records from the UNHCR, since January, Zambia has received 3,000 asylum-seekers from the DRC.

Zambia currently hosts about 58,000 refugees in total.