According to the newspaper Jornal de Angola, the Minister of State and head of the President’s Military Household, Francisco Furtado, visited on Saturday several affected areas in the southern province of Cunene to assess the situation.

In the opinion of the high official, it is not necessary to declare a state of emergency for the southern region, as advised by some political parties and national and international non-governmental organizations, the newspaper reported in its online edition.

With the return of the rains in some areas of Cunene, the families who returned from neighboring Namibia have already started planting different crops for self-sufficiency, he said.

According to Furtado, the Executive Branch will continue to send food, agricultural seeds and covering other basic needs of the affected population.

In addition, the reception center of Calueque, in the municipality of Ombadja, has classrooms, a health post, agricultural fields and a water supply system to attend the more than 750 families that returned from Namibia, where they had sought refuge because of the famine and drought, said the Jornal de Angola.

At the head of a governmental delegation, Furtado verified for the fourth time the conditions of the returnees from Namibia and the increase of accommodation in temporary facilities.

From January to date, there are positive changes, said the Minister of State when considering the current situation in the Calueque camp, which began to receive people about 45 days ago.

The authorities also ensured conditions for another 28,300 inhabitants around Calueque to be transferred to the municipalities of Cahama and Gambos to improve their situation, the newspaper said.

According to the source, Furtado also verified the progress of the construction works of the Cafu Canal, as part of the Emergency Program to fight the drought in the province.

The works are progressing at a good pace and the canal will be inaugurated in early April by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, in order to minimize the difficulties caused by cyclical drought processes, the executive announced.

The Government approved a millionaire investment plan with a view to achieving structural solutions to the problems of water stress in the southern part of Angola.

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