U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
ANGOLA - Civil Strife
Note: The last Situation Report was issued March 1, 1996.
Overview
The Government of the Republic of Angola (GRA) and representatives of the National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) signed the Lusaka Protocol, a comprehensive peace agreement, on November 20, 1994. The protocol called for a cease-fire, the quartering and disarming of UNITA troops, and the formation of a unified national army. In return for its demilitarization, UNITA would take part in a government of national reconciliation. On February 9, 1995, the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council authorized the establishment of a 7,500-member peacekeeping operation, the U.N. Angola Verification Mission III (UNAVEM III), to help guard the current peace agreement. On September 25-26, 1995, President dos Santos and UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi attended the U.N.-sponsored Angolan Roundtable Conference, held in Brussels, Belgium. During the conference, more than $1 billion was pledged by international donors toward a multi-year reconstruction program that included demobilization, mine clearance and awareness, rehabilitation of basic infrastructure, reintegration of wardisplaced persons, community development, and a reduced humanitarian assistance program to aid the transition from emergency to development. On December 8, 1995, during his first official visit to the U.S., dos Santos met President Clinton.
For now, the success of Angolans' efforts to move from prostration to reconstruction depends on the reintegration of soldiers and their families into civilian life. Enduring tension between UNITA and GRA forces threaten to keep large parts of the country isolated, and therefore less capable of shaking off the ills produced by the long war. In recent months, however, came signs of greater efforts by both sides to live up to the Lusaka Protocol. On March 1, President dos Santos and Savimbi met in Libreville, Gabon, where they reiterated their commitment to the Lusaka Protocol and agreed to a timetable by the end of July, and to the subsequent formation of the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation. On May 21, both sides reached agreement on the means for integrating UNITA troops into the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). On June 3, a group of 15 UNITA officers were sworn into the FAA, with another 30 officers entering the FAA on June 15. As of June 25, 51,537 UNITA soldiers were registered in 14 U.N.-run quartering areas (QAs) On May 8, the Security Council extended the mandate until July 11, and called on both sides to complete the quartering of UNITA troops. Severe inflation and a moribund economy led President dos Santos to replace key government ministers on June 7.
Numbers Affected
The number of Angolans inside the country currently requiring external emergency assistance is estimated at 2.2 million, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and demobilized soldiers and their families. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also estimates that there are some 325,000 Angolan refugees in neighboring countries: 200,000 in Zaire; 96,000 in Zambia; 12,600 in the Congo; 1,600 in Namibia; and 15,000 in 32 other countries.
Total U.S. Government (USG) Humanitarian Assistance FY 1996 (to date) $48,776,095
Current Situation
In 1995, UNITA officials throughout Angola harassed humanitarian relief workers and denied them clearance for flights and road convoys. Several organizations suspended relief activities in December 1995 for security reasons, but most resumed operations in January 1996. The opening of roads for peacekeeping and humanitarian purposes has been hindered by thousands of unexploded mines, numerous destroyed bridges, and a lack of security in many parts of the countryside. Nonetheless, access throughout the country has gradually increased, and new pockets of needy populations continue to be identified. IDPs in some provinces have slowly begun to return home, and targeted assistance programs have been shifted to help them rebuild their lives. Banditry, landmines, and general insecurity have nevertheless deterred many IDPs from returning home.
The U.N., non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the GRA and UNITA are all working to reopen the country by improving roads and implementing mineclearing programs. The Central Mine Action Office of the U.N. (CMAO) estimates that there are 10 million landmines in Angola. The country suffers from one of the world's highest per-capita rates of mine accidents, which have left an estimated 70,000 civilian and soldier amputees. CMAO works closely with the GRA's Mine Action Institute (INAROE) as well as with international NGOs to conduct de-mining and mine-awareness activities. USAID supports the mine-awareness and de-mining activities of four NGOs and provides technical assistance to CMAO. Some budding commerce, free movement of people, and reconstruction have resumed.
Winter rains ceased temporarily in January, damaging some crops, such as corn. Pockets of malnutrition continue to appear. Early this year emergency food interventions followed a report in December 1995 by the World Food Program (WFP), World Vision Relief and Development (WVRD), and Action Contre la Faim (ACF) of high levels of malnutrition in Gonguembo, Kwanza Norte Province and in Cusse, Huila Province. A joint WFP-GRA-UNITA team also reported alarmingly poor nutrition levels in Likua, Cuando Cubango Province. A survey by CARE in April showed malnutrition in the area around Quilengues and Catala, Huila Province, resulting from physical isolation imposed by the political/military situation, poor rainfall, and theft. CARE and WFP undertook feeding programs to overcome malnutrition in the communities.
Political/Military Situation
Although fighting officially ceased with the signing of the Lusaka Protocol, decades of accumulated hostility and mistrust set the stage for subsequent cease-fire violations. More than 500 U.N. observers are currently stationed in 50 sites throughout the country to monitor such violations, and an additional 5,800 UNAVEM III troops are acting as a further buffer to deter skirmishes. Despite many cease-fire violations in late 1995, efforts by both sides in early 1996 have enabled the peace process to progress.
Together, UNITA and the GRA have released more than 500 prisoners of war since November 1994. In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the GRA has begun to barrack its para-military Rapid Intervention Police. The two sides have formally agreed to military integration provisions, including ways of merging UNITA forces into the FAA, and for demobilizing excess manpower from both sides to create a unified army of 26,000 former GRA soldiers and 26,000 former UNITA fighters.
As stated in the peace agreement, QAs have been erected throughout Angola for the registration and disarmament of UNITA soldiers under U.N. supervision. To date there are 14 QAs. Likua QA, Cuando Cubango Province, opened in early June. In mid-May, Savimbi promised to have 50,000 UNITA troops in QAs by June 15, and 60,000 by July. As of June 25, 51,537 UNITA personnel had registered, although desertions reduced the total by 4,849. With them came 56,085 dependents. Days before the June 15 deadline, UNITA delivered enough troops to the QAs to satisfy UNAVEM officials.
Security Situation
Although a recent increase in the numbers of UNITA soldiers registering at QAs points to progress in demobilization, the enduring presence of military checkpoints and unrecovered land mines have prevented thousands of IDPs from returning to their homes. Lawlessness prevails throughout most of the country. On April 3, two UNAVEM officers and the deputy representative of OXFAM were murdered by unknown gunmen on the road between Cubal and Lobito in Benguela Province. Aid convoys on the road were consequently suspended for a week.
Relief Efforts and Quartering Areas Bengo Province: As of June 25, the QA at Piri/Quibaxe registered 3,676 UNITA troops and 2,753 dependents.
Benguela Province: Medecins Sans Frontieres/France (MSF/F) manages therapeutic and supplementary feeding centers in Benguela city. In November 1995, MSF/F conducted a nutritional survey of this area and found a reduction in malnutrition since April 1995. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) provides a monthly food distribution to 28,382 families (about 113,000 people) in the area of Cubal. CRS also distributed seeds and tools in Benguela Province to beneficiaries with access to arable land. WFP sent a convoy from Lobito, bearing more than 85 metric tons (MT) of corn, beans, and oil, to Chongoroi. Working with the NGO Okutiuka, WFP distributed food for 3,600 IDPs in Chongoroi, on May 22. As of June 25, the QA at Chicuma registered 3,810 UNITA troops and 4,411 dependents.
Bie Province: MSF/Belgium (MSF/B) in early June reported higher admissions of malnourished persons to its Kuito therapeutic feeding center in June. Initial analysis suggests the reasons stem from poor harvests and a sharp rise in food prices. Concern, an Irish-based NGO, is coordinating a survey in Kuito to provide more information. In May, CARE and UNICEF inaugerated a maternity and child health care clinic in Chinguar. As of June 25, the Andulo QA registered 4,450 UNITA troops and 6,788 dependents, and at Chitembo QA, there were 2,994 UNITA troops and 303 dependents.
Cuando Cubango Province: After CARE conducted a nutritional survey in the southern part of the province, flights to Jamba resumed in May, to target nutritional needs of nearly 18,000 IDPs and residents. CARE also distributes food aid to IDPs in Menongue. As of June 25, the Caiundo QA registered 2,480 UNITA troops and 3,989 dependents. At the Likua QA, 2,116 UNITA troops and 2,225 dependents had registered. The Likua QA was the fourteenth center to open.
Huambo Province: In nutrition and health, the province has remained stable in recent months, allowing relief organizations to end emergency interventions. All general distributions of food aid have ceased in Huambo, except to UNITA soldiers and their dependents in the QAs. Banditry and divided control in the province between the GRA and UNITA restrict the circulation of goods and people. Aid agencies have generally shifted their focus in recent months from emergency relief to agricultural rehabilitation and the provision of basic health care. On April 25, unidentified gunmen held up a WFP convoy. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that gunmen held up one of their trucks 17 kilometres east of Vila Nova on June 4, stealing 600 kilograms of cornmeal.
The first two QAs to open, Vila Nova and Londuimbale, have received UNITA troops and their accompanying family members since late 1995. As of June 25, the QA at Vila Nova registered 5,007 UNITA troops and 6,453 dependents. The QA at Londuimbale registered 5,212 UNITA soldiers and 6,565 dependents.
Huila Province: Irregular winter rainfall resulted in a reduced corn crop. Conditions in the northern part of the province were exacerbated by cattle theft. CARE provides a monthly food distribution to about 33,000 beneficiaries in the areas of Quipungo, Matala, and Cacula, and supports food-for-work projects in areas around Quipungo. Most of CARE's beneficiaries are IDPs from areas of origin currently controlled by UNITA. A survey by CARE showed that malnutrition remains serious in the area around Quilengues and Catala. Efforts are underway to restore food security in the area, whose inhabitants were effectively marooned because of tensions between UNITA and GRA, and general banditry. As of June 25, the N'Gove QA registered 5,053 UNITA troops and 4,700 dependents.Kwanza Norte: Early this year WVRD completed nutritional surveys in Kwanza Norte Province. The results from Sao Pedro de Quilemba and Danje Ya Menha revealed decreased malnutrition rates, thus WVRD conducted a final food distribution to beneficiaries in both areas in December 1995. The nutritional survey conducted by WVRD in Golungo Alto in October 1995, however, revealed higher malnutrition rates. WVRD therefore continues to provide a general food distribution to beneficiaries in this area, and opened a feeding center in mid-January 1996. Despite spring flooding of crops in Massango, a WFP/WVRD mission in May established that emergency food was not required.
Kwanza Sul: As of June 25, the Quibala QA registered 4,000 UNITA troops and 3,565 dependents.
Lunda Sul: As part of the effort to increase food self-sufficiency among Angolans in 1996, WFP, SC/US, the Angolan Ministry of the Interior (MINARS), and the local administration agreed to phase out general food distributions in Saurimo at the end of March 1996. Relief agencies and local government authorities reportedly agreed to initiate this shift in humanitarian assistance because beneficiaries have sufficient access to land for farming and income-generating activities. Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is continuing its programs in Saurimo, focusing on agriculture, health, education, and income-generating activities, with a goal of expanding its health care program to cover satellite health posts.
Malanje Province: Earlier in the year, WVRD negotiated with local government authorities to decrease the monthly ration by 50%, which has caused tensions between those receiving the food and those distributing it. During and after the phase-out of food distributions, WFP continued to provide food aid to vulnerable groups through its implementing partners in Malanje. In May, WVRD, Concern, MSF/Holland (MSF/H) and WFP established a strategy of directing food aid to vulnerable groups in the province: those under 15, the elderly, and the handicapped. From May through July, about 95,000 people will receive a daily rations to stem the deterioration of nutrition levels. As of June 25, Catala QA registered 4,497 UNITA soldiers and 2,552 dependents.
Moxico Province:
The GRA announced the reopening of the LuenaLeua road in late May, allowing humanitarian organizations to transport relief materials along the Luena-Leua-Lumege route. Earlier, relief convoys had to make a detour through Camanongue to gain access to Lumege-Cameia. Following reports of an outbreak of measles in Cazombo, MSF/B, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health began preparations for an immunisation campaign in the area. SC/US continues to provide food to 90,000 beneficiaries in the area of Luena. As of June 25, Lumege QA registered 1,033 troops and 379 dependents.
Uige Province: Since late October 1995, WFP convoys have been able to transport food and non-food assistance to Uige and Negage by road from Luanda. In January 1996, MSF/F inaugurated a program to treat cases of Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, in Maquela do Zombo. As of June 25, the QA at Negage had registered 5,008 demobilized UNITA troops and 9,454 dependents.
Zaire Province: On December 15, 1995, a WFP flight transporting relief supplies to M'Banza Congo was temporarily detained by UNITA officials. WFP reports that subsequent flights to Zaire Province have proceeded without such incidents, but UNITA continues to require that all flights to M'Banza Congo be cleared 24 hours in advance.
MSF/H has completed its support to the main Soyo hospital and two health posts, and has commenced operations in the municipalities of Nzeto and Tomboco, providing essential drugs, technical training, and clinical supervision. MSF/H also provides clinical support to 13 health posts and to the hospital in M'Banza Congo, the only provincial capital controlled by UNITA.
As of June 25, the N'Tuco QA registered 2,201 UNITA troops and 1,948 dependents.
USG Humanitarian Assistance
A disaster declaration was issued by U.S. Ambassador Don Steinberg on October 19, 1995, for FY 1996. As the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to Angola, the USG has granted more than $380 million to assist waraffected and displaced persons there since 1989. In 1991, BHR/OFDA began funding an Emergency Disaster Relief Coordinator (EDRC) to oversee the USG's growing humanitarian programs, and in August 1995, a second BHR/OFDA officer was sent out to assist with the transitional efforts now underway in Angola. Since the quartering process began late last year, BHR/OFDA has provided 1,722,240 square feet of plastic sheeting to be used as temporary shelters by the dependents of demobilized UNITA soldiers.
Since 1985, USAID's Office of Food For Peace (BHR/FFP) has provided emergency food assistance to over two million war-affected Angolans directly through NGO partners, such as CARE, CRS, and SC/US, as well as to WFP and ICRC. This assistance exceeded $45 million in FY 1995. Food aid programs are now beginning to be redesigned to transition from relief to development. The food programs currently assisted by BHR/FFP improve household food security and agricultural rehabilitation, through distributions of seeds and tools. BHR/FFP recently provided 5,000 MT of food assistance worth over $2.5 million to the UCAH Demobilization Program through WFP as part of over $34 million provided in FY 1996 in support of food aid programs. Due to the magnitude and complexity of its food program in Angola, BHR/FFP plans to place a monitor in Angola during FY 1996.
With the signing of the Lusaka Protocol, the role of USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (BHR/OTI) has increased. In keeping with the coordinatd U.S. Department of State and USAID Strategy for Angola, BHR/OTI plays an integral part in the transition from emergency relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of the country. Through a contract with Creative Associates based in Luanda, BHR/OTI provides funding for rapid community-revitalization projects, documentation services, and technical assistance support to UCAH and CMAO. Assistance is also being given to Voice of America in Angola, to begin broadcasting comprehensive news reports about events in both government- and UNITA-held areas, for conflict-resolution programming, and to train Angolan journalists. In addition, BHR/OTI supports several NGOs in soldier demobilization and reintegration, and land mine awareness, survey, and removal programs.
The State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) provides support for Angolan refugees and IDPs, and of Zairian refugees in Angola, through contributions to the Annual Appeals of the Office of the UNHCR, the ICRC, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), portions of which cover Angola. To date in FY 1996 the contributions have been, respectively, $32.9 million, $41.7 million, and $13 million. PRM also provided $1.8 million to UNHCR, towards the 1995 costs of Angolan repatriation, and $4 million for Calendar 1996.
USAID/BHR/OFDA Assistance
MSF/F feeding centers in Benguela Province (Benguela Town and Cubal)
(extension) $821,300
Program Support and TDY Program Ass't travel $110,507
CRS Health care, assistance to quartering areas $1,532,387
IMC Angola Emergency activities in Huambo $1,291,272
SC/US distribution of food and seeds and tools in Bengo, Moxico,
Kwanza Sul, Luena $1,013,067
UNDHA/UCAH Director's position in Luanda $97,300
WVRD Seeds and tools distribution in Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, Luena
$1,621,200
WFP Support for light aircraft, transport of nonfood items
$1,500,000
ICRC orthopedic program $1,000,000
Plastic sheeting for UNITA dependents
$84,834
Total OFDA FY 96 (to date) $9,071,867
BHR/OTI Assistance
Creative Associates: Community Revitalization Projects in Huambo and Luanda
Interim Office $787,000
Search for Common Ground: Conflict Resolution Programming, "Rivers
of Fear-Borders of Trust" $13,804
Voice of America, Conflict Resolution Programming
$707,489
Program Support $29,735
Total USAID/OTI FY 96 (to date) $1,538,028
BHR/FFP Assistance
8,245 MT to CARE $5,117,100
16,860 MT to SC/US $10,204,000
5,700 MT to CRS $1,845,000
23,160 MT to WFP/CRIE $13,050,100
10,000 MT to WFP/PRO $3,950,000
Total BHR/FFP FY 96 (to date) $34,166,200
Bureau for Africa (AFR) Assistance SC/U.S.
agricultural and health program (4 year project) 4,000,000
Total AFR FY 95 $6,000,000
PRM Assistance
Assistance for repatriation $4,000,000
Total DOS/PRM FY 96 (to date) $4,000,000
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 1996 (to date) $48,776,095
William Garvelink
Deputy Director
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
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