The Chinese Embassy in Luanda has announced that two Chinese-financed schools for refugees in the northern Angolan province of Lunda Norte have opened.

The embassy issued a written statement quoting a Chinese diplomat, Li Bin, as saying at the opening ceremony that Chinese support for the two schools and the temporary accommodation that goes with them shows how committed China is to bringing peace and stability to Africa and the world at large.

Mr Li said China would strive to help African countries stabilise politically and develop economically, and that the rest of the world should help, too.

Angolan Education Secretary Pacheco Domingos praised Chinese support for the economic and social development of his country, the Chinese Embassy in Luanda says.

Separately, the Angolan state-run news agency, Angop, reports that the schools, each with eight classrooms, will educate about 8,400 refugee children from the Democratic Republic of Congo.