Angola drought pushes thousands into Namibia: Amnesty

Climate-driven drought is pushing thousands of Angolans, mainly women and children, into Namibia, where they face harsh treatment and forcible return, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Amnesty said several provinces in southern Angola have been hit by recurring drought worsened by El Nino, a weather pattern linked to hotter and drier conditions.

Between January and July 2021, more than 7,000 Angolans, mainly women, children and older people, entered northern Namibia after years of severe drought and food insecurity, the rights group said. It said cross-border movement has continued during renewed severe drought conditions in 2023 and 2024, but the scale of drought-related displacement has not been properly recorded.

Amnesty said displaced Angolans in Namibia were living in poor conditions, including without shelter or in overcrowded makeshift structures built from branches, plastic and cardboard, and feared arrest and deportation.

The group said Namibia had returned more than 1,000 Angolans this year after they were found without regular immigration status. Amnesty said it witnessed Namibian authorities in June 2025 rounding up about 40 Angolan nationals, including women and children, and transporting them to the border.

Amnesty regional director Tigere Chagutah called the situation a “human rights crisis” and urged Namibia to ensure people displaced by drought and other natural disasters can access basic rights, including registration and documentation.

Angola is one of Africa's top producers of crude oil and diamonds, but about a third of its population lives below the World Bank poverty line. Amnesty said about 11.1 million Angolans depend on largely rain-fed rural livelihoods.