News
Expulsion of Congolese from Angola aggravates dire crisis in Kasai
An estimated 360,000 Congolese have crossed the border from Angola and back into DR Congo during October. Most of them are arriving to Kasai, where the influx aggravates an already dire humanitarian crisis and risks fuelling new conflicts, warned the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“The expulsion of Congolese from Angola over the course of the last month is truly shocking and risk further destabilizing the situation in Kasai,” said Ulrika Blom, NRC DR Congo Country Director. “Several hundred thousand people flooding across the border to Congo puts an even greater strain on an already dire humanitarian situation.”
During the month of October, an estimated 360,000 Congolese have poured across the nine border crossings that the Democratic Republic of Congo shares with Angola. The people coming across the border are a mixed population of longstanding migrant workers, as well as the thousands of refugees who had fled Congo when the Kasai regional conflict broke out in the latter half of 2016 and into 2017.
An expulsion of unprotected Congolese citizens in such large numbers over a short period, poses a massive threat to the already fragile and unstable context in the Greater Kasai Region. At least 2 million people in the region have returned to their places of origin while 1.3 million remain displaced. With the funding of the Congo Humanitarian Response Plan well under 50 per cent and with a thin humanitarian presence in the region, there is a very serious risk that this latest influx of people in need could fuel conflict and cause hundreds of thousands of people in need to battle over the meagre assistance available.
“Lacklustre donor response to the overall humanitarian crisis in DR Congo has come to haunt us with this latest emergency at the Congo-Angola border,” said Blom. “The 2018 humanitarian budget is basically obsolete because of the sheer number of crises and setbacks we have experienced across the country over the last three months.”
The conditions that the expelled face once they return to Congo are shocking.
The risk of waterborne disease is high due to the lack of latrines and sanitation systems. People are unable to bathe regularly due to lack of potable water in border towns like Kamako. Thousands are sleeping outdoors, putting their security at risk, because there is no shelter or housing available for the influx of people crossing the border. Extortion of goods on both sides of the border is rife. Expelled children-many of them separated from their parents- are enrolling in local border schools without uniforms or any school materials.
Food prices for staple foods such as rice, flour and oil have tripled because Angolan merchants that normally crossed the border to sell their produce are too afraid to do so, thus paralysing the economy of Congolese border communities.
Finally, the economic situation is further compounded by the fact that the value of the Angolan Kwanza, the currency many of the expelled were using prior to being sent back to Congo, lost a third of its value since the beginning of the crisis in early-October.
“Hundreds of thousands of people have been robbed of their right to a dignified existence,” said Blom. “This is not a crisis that is about to begin, it is a full-blown emergency. The international community must urgently increase the funding for humanitarian assistance.”
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is addressing some of the humanitarian challenges arising from Congolese expulsion with rapid response interventions in the affected areas. The agency will provide water, shelter and cash, and will work to improve the sanitation facilities in consortium with the French humanitarian organisation, Solidarités International, with funding from UNICEF and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations agency (ECHO). NRC has already assisted over 300,000 people in need across the Greater Kasai Region with cash, shelter, household items, education and food since May 2017.
About NRC in DR Congo
The Norwegian Refugee Council is an aid organization working in over 30 countries globally. It set up in DR Congo in 2001, and today helps communities in South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika and Kasaï-Central. We provide assistance in education, land rights and civil documentation, food, household items and rapid response to people who are displaced, to those returning from displacement and to host communities across the country.
News
Alleged KGB Infiltration: Police in Dilemma as Senator Natasha Abandons Petition, Snubs Summons
The Nigeria Police Force appears to be in a quandary over its investigation into the alleged infiltration of the National Assembly by Russia’s KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), the former Soviet security agency.
Checks revealed that the police had invited the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, for interrogation following a petition filed by his colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.
In the petition dated March 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently serving a six-month suspension from the Senate, urged the police to investigate Karimi’s claim that the KGB had infiltrated the National Assembly, posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
She specifically alleged that Senator Karimi had circulated a report titled “KGB Agent Group Warns Senate: A Call for Vigilance Amidst Threats to Democracy” on the official WhatsApp group of the 10th Senate on February 23, 2025.
Describing the claim as a matter of national security, Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that the alarm raised by Karimi should not be taken lightly. “No nation can afford to ignore the presence of such a group within its legislative body,” she emphasized in her petition.
Karimi Appears Before Police, Natasha Recoils
Further investigations revealed that Senator Karimi honored the police invitation on Monday, appearing at the Force Headquarters in Abuja to clarify his position.
Sources within the police described his session as “positive and insightful,” revealing that he admitted to sharing the report in question. However, the police were reportedly taken aback when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan distanced herself from the petition and ignored requests to appear for questioning.
“We reached out to her after our session with Senator Karimi, expecting her to provide further clarification, but she has continuously ignored our invitation,” a senior police source disclosed.
“What is disturbing is how she suddenly abandoned such a serious petition against her colleague. First, she claimed to be outside the country, but a viral video has since surfaced showing her in her constituency. It is difficult to reconcile her claims with the information available to us,” the source added.
The police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further hinted at possible political undertones behind the petition.
“We do not want to meddle in the ongoing power play within the Senate. However, it would be scandalous if she attempted to use the police as a tool in her political battles.”
When asked about the possible next steps, the source stated that his superiors would determine the fate of the petition, which he described as “frivolous.”
Twelve inmates have escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, following an early morning jailbreak on Monday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
According to Fanwo, law enforcement officers have already re-arrested one of the escapees.
“The theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns. This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system,” he stated.
The commissioner further disclosed that Governor Usman Ododo has directed security agencies to ensure that such breaches do not happen again.
“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities. Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” Fanwo warned.
Reassuring residents, he added: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”
Authorities have yet to disclose further details about the escapees or ongoing efforts to apprehend them.
The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.
The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.
Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.
A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.
However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.
“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.
Mass Deportations Under Trump
Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.
Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.
The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.
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