LUANDA (Feb. 11) XINHUA - The total number of displaced people in Angola reached 3.7 millions at the end of January or one third of the total population, the Inter-ministerial Commission for Humanitarian Aid said here on Friday.
The commission said that the number has increased 15.6 percent as compared with last September after the government launched an all-out offensive against the rebels.
The number of the people in need has increased following the government's recapture of some areas from the control of the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), it said.
According to the official source, the southern African country witnessed a sharp rise of displaced people late January, with 40,000 of them registered during the last ten days of that month.
This increment is followed by the intensified military actions around the country, the commission said.
Angola has spent some 11.4 million U.S. dollars to buy 18,400 tons of medical and food assistance since last November. The Angolans obtained donations worth 2.5 million dollars from the international community and the United Nations agencies in late January alone.
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Received by NewsEdge Insight: 02/11/2000 13:13:00