Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Angola

Union Inter-Africaine des Droits de l’Homme v. Angola

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights · Angola · 1997-11 · Regional court or body

Citation: Communication 159/96
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side

Question

Was Angola’s round-up and expulsion of West African workers lawful?

What the court decided

No. Mass expulsion of non-nationals is a special violation of human rights; the expelled lost their property and work.

In plain language

Angola arrested and expelled hundreds of people from West Africa, many working in diamond areas, without any court process. The African Commission said mass expulsion is forbidden.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Angola menangkap dan mengusir ratusan orang dari Afrika Barat, banyak yang bekerja di kawasan berlian, tanpa proses pengadilan. Komisi Afrika menyatakan pengusiran massal dilarang.

Pertanyaan: Apakah penangkapan dan pengusiran pekerja Afrika Barat oleh Angola sah?

What happened afterwards

1996: Expulsions carried out.
1997-11: Decision adopted.

Sources

Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).

Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/achpr-uiadh-1997/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.

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