Angola arrests 31 illegal immigrants in northern province

LUANDA, Oct. 1 -- The Foreigners and Migration Services of Angola (SME) said on Thursday that it had arrested a total of 31 foreigners who were trying to enter Angola's capital Luanda illegally.

Joao Serrote Vunda, head of SME's Bengo provincial information and analysis department, told reporters that these illegal foreigners were arrested after they crossed the maritime coastline from a fishing village called Barra do Dande in northern Bengo province this week.

The official identified the illegal immigrants as citizens of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, Lebanon and Mali, saying they intended to enter the Angolan capital for well-paid jobs.

The immigrants were organized by a human trafficking network of foreigners and Angolans who are living in Bengo province and Luanda city, said the SME official, adding that a member of the network was also arrested during the operation.

Angola is a fairly "rich country" in Africa with the gross domestic product hitting 3,000 U. S. dollars per capita in 2008. Angola's capital city Luanda is regarded a "paradise" for most poor Africans, especially those from west African countries.