The Long Journey Home - Angolan Refugees Return

The challenge of refugee return and reintegration - February 2005

In April 2002, UNITA rebels signed a ceasefire with the Angolan government bringing to an end more than 30 years of civil war. As soon as the ceasefire was signed millions of Angolans displaced by the fighting began to make the long journey home.

But even with the advent of peace the legacy of war looms large over Angola. Decades of war have left the country in the grip of a structural emergency and in many places of return there are no schools, health posts or jobs, but where land mines, by contrast, are everywhere. The Long Journey Home explores the challenges that must be met if Angola is not to slide once more into emergency.

The Long Journey Home was produced by the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

For more information about IRIN and the films they produce, see the IRIN website.