The year ended with an overall population of concern of 85,871, comprising 57,521 refugees, 5,075 asylum-seekers and 23,275 former refugees (18,232 Angolans and 5,043 Rwandans). This represented an increase of 13% from 2018, overall, with Maheba and Mayukwayukwa settlements recording a 20% increase in population. The total population included some 12,404 self-settled refugees across the country. Of the 85,871 people of concern, 47% were between the ages of 18 and 59, and 4% were 60 or older. Women and children jointly constituted 51% of the overall population. Out of the 5,797 Congolese arrivals in 2019, 55% were from South-Kivu, followed by 17% from Haut-Katanga and Tanganyika Provinces. In addition to the new arrivals, a group of 1,745 Congolese from the DRC was registered in Lusaka. Despite the deactivation of the cases of 1,237 Congolese in Mantapala, following consecutive no-shows for food distribution and 23 voluntary returns from Meheba, there was no increase in voluntary return across all settlements.
The Angolan population (others of concern) consisted 18,233 individuals at the end of 2019. The figures increased by 2% as a result of 211 births and 109 in situ registrations. Meanwhile, some 136 Angolan were reported to have returned spontaneously. The operation recorded a significant increase in Burundian arrivals compared to 2018. In 2019, 1,271 Burundian new arrivals were registered, bringing the total Burundian population to 7,017 people compared to 5,795 in 2018. The Rwandan population remained stable at the end of 2019.
The Luapula province of northern Zambia received the largest number of new arrivals, totaling 4,130 persons in 2019. Around 63% of new arrivals entering through Mpulungu were registered in Lusaka and 37% were relocated to Meheba and Mayukwayukwa. Mayukwayukwa accounted for 21% of the refugee population in Zambia, with around 6,401 (41%) others of concern.
Around 24% of the population of concern to UNHCR resided in urban areas. 88% of the 479 refugees resettled to a third country in 2019 were Congolese. Voluntary repatriation remained very minimal in 2019 with only 43 refugees and around 136 others of concern returning to their country of origin.