A global rights watchdog has called on Angola to halt mass deportations of mostly Congolese people.

More than 400,000 people were "forcibly returned" to the Democratic Republic of Congo or fled Angola last month following an operation targeting suspected diamond smuggling, says Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Angola should stop forcing people to leave the country until it can provide individual assessment and due process guarantees to distinguish irregular migrants from refugees and registered migrant workers,” said Dewa Mavhinga Southern Africa director at HRW.

The Angolan government has vehemently denied that its security forces committed abuses during the operation against diamond smuggling, reports AFP news agency.