Mporokoso is a useful small town in the heart of northern Zambia. In early 1999, following problems with the war in DRC, a number of refugees and loyalist Congolese troops fled across the border to Zambia, crossing around Kaputa and Sumbu. The refugees were being looked after by the UNHCR, the Red Cross, Oxfam and other agencies at Mwange Camp, about 60km outside Mporokoso, on the way to Kawambwa.

Despite the peace that seems to be breaking out in parts of the DRC, there were still over 25,000 refugees here in January 2004. There's also a fairly large government hospital here (with doctors but generally poor medicines and equipment), serving a large area of the country.