Abstract

The onset of the Angolan war of independence in 1961 set off a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By the summer of 1962, the number of Angolans refugees rose to nearly 150,000. The UN High Commission for Refugees [Caritas], the League of Red Cross Societies [LRCS], the Catholic charity Caritas, and Protestant church aid groups all provided aid to Angolans. However, the UNHCR and LRCS quickly viewed the Angolans as overly dependent on humanitarian assistance. Echoing colonial anxieties about unsettled African populations, secular and Catholic organizations tried to resettle refugees. UNHCR and LCRS staff blamed Angolan nationalist leaders for coercing refugees to stay in exile rather than return to their homeland, ignoring how refugees themselves described how Portuguese troops had indiscriminately tortured and murdered civilians. Protestant aid groups actively collaborated with the FNLA Angolan rebel movement, to the displeasure of other aid organizations who contended the Protestants violated the humanitarian ideal of neutrality. This case indicates tensions between humanitarian organizations that considered refugees as a burden in need of continued oversight with others who considered the Angolans as victims of colonialism deserving of help.

摘要

1961年安哥拉独立战争爆发，在刚果民主共和国引发了人道主义危机。到 1962 年夏天，安哥拉难民人数上升到近 150,000 人。联合国难民事务高级委员会 [Caritas]、红十字会联盟 [LRCS]、天主教慈善机构 Caritas 和新教教会援助团体都向安哥拉人提供了援助。然而，难民署和 LRCS 很快就认为安哥拉人过度依赖人道主义援助。世俗和天主教组织试图重新安置难民，以回应对不稳定的非洲人口的殖民焦虑。难民署和 LCRS 工作人员指责安哥拉民族主义领导人强迫难民流亡而不是返回家园，忽略难民自己如何描述葡萄牙军队如何不分青红皂白地折磨和谋杀平民。新教援助团体与民族解放阵线安哥拉反叛运动积极合作，这引起了其他援助组织的不满，他们认为新教徒违反了中立的人道主义理想。该案例表明，将难民视为需要持续监督的负担的人道主义组织与将安哥拉人视为殖民主义受害者值得帮助的其他组织之间存在紧张关系。