U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
ANGOLA - Complex Emergency
Situation Report #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2001    April 2, 2001


Note: the last situation report was dated October 8, 1999

BACKGROUND

More than 3.7 million Angolans have been affected by three decades of
civil war, according to the Government of Angola's (GRA) Inter-ministerial
Commission for the Humanitarian Situation (CISH).  In 1998, the National
Union for the Independence of Angola (UNITA) abandoned the provisions of
the Lusaka Accords, which had been signed in 1994, refused to disarm, and
launched a new series of attacks. Full-scale warfare resumed, causing many
rural residents to flee to provincial cities. FY 2000 was marked by
significant military gains by the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA),
consolidating and expanding the government's control over provincial
capitals and major cities. The GRA's success resulted in UNITA’s return to
guerrilla warfare and increased violence near the Namibian and Zambian
borders.

As the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) rose, the
humanitarian situation in Angola deteriorated.  Epidemics and shortages of
food and potable water contributed to worsening conditions for those
affected by the violence. The GRA estimates that 2.8 million people have
been displaced since 1998.  The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is targeting
1,040,000 Angolans for food aid beginning in April 2001.  The USG
continued to support the needs of those affected by the violence in Angola
with more than $100 million in emergency assistance in FY 2000 ($94
million specifically for use inside Angola and $6 million for Angolan
refugees) channeled through the United States Agency for International
Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA),
USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP), USAID's Africa Bureau
(USAID/AFR), the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration (State/PRM) and the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA).  The United States Government (USG) has contributed more than $591
million in emergency assistance to affected populations in Angola since
1990.



NUMBERS AFFECTED AT A GLANCE

Killed: 1 million since mid-1970s (U.S. Committee for Refugees)

War-Affected: 3.7 million as of September 2000 (GRA and U.N. Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA))

Internally Displaced Persons: between 2.5 million (GRA estimate) and 1.15
million (registered with UNOCHA)

Refugees: 415,000 as of November 2000.  Zambia - 200,000; Democratic
Republic of Congo - 170,000; Republic of Congo - 20,000; Namibia - 20,000;
other countries - 5,000.  (State/PRM)

Total FY 2000 USAID Assistance to Angola     $91,470,122

Total FY 2000 State/PRM assistance to
Angola and Angolan Refugees                   $8,775,057




CURRENT SITUATION


Security and Access

One of the most difficult challenges facing the humanitarian community is
the fluid security situation throughout the country. While humanitarian
organizations have been able to reach IDP populations in some areas,
security concerns hinder the reliable, consistent delivery of assistance
to many IDPs.

As of July 2000, the Angolan Attorney General reported that the GRA
controlled of 92% of 157 districts. The expansion of GRA territorial
administrations to Maquila de Zombo, Cangandale, Cuvelai, Andulo, Balundo,
Calenga, Cuemba, Lepi, and Longonjo gave humanitarian organizations access
to thousands of affected persons who could not previously receive
humanitarian assistance.  However, functioning civil administrations have
not been realized in many districts. Almost all areas along the eastern
and southern borders remain insecure and inaccessible to humanitarian
agencies.

In FY 2000, UNITA changed its military tactics, employing guerrilla
warfare in sporadic attacks on both civilian and military targets. As of
January 2001, the security conditions remained serious in Benguela, Bié,
Huambo, Kuando Kubango, Kwanza Norte, Malanje, Moxico, and Uige. The
security situation in these provinces is characterized by ambushes,
attacks, kidnappings, mine explosions, looting of civilian goods, and
threats against humanitarian workers and organizations.

In addition to chronic insecurity, humanitarian organizations are also
constrained by a devastated infrastructure. More than 30 years of civil
war have left the majority of the nation’s roadways impassable or
insecure.  Humanitarian assistance must therefore be delivered by air in
most cases.  However, the nation’s airstrips are also in a state of
disrepair, limiting the number of humanitarian flights that can arrive
each day.  Some airstrips cannot accommodate cargo planes at all.  Some
airstrips, such as those in Kuito and Huambo, are so severely deteriorated
that they must be completely closed.

The lack of a functioning transportation infrastructure, coupled with
chronic insecurity, increases the overall cost of providing humanitarian
assistance, prevents humanitarian access to some vulnerable populations,
and limits the quantity of assistance that can be provided.

In FY 2000, USAID/OFDA supported the establishment of a United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) project to deploy civil/military liaison
security officers in the provinces to facilitate and enhance the exchange
of information regarding security incidents among the Angolan military,
civil police, and NGOs.  The program has been successful and will be
expanded in 2001.  USAID/OFDA also continued funding World Food Program
(WFP) air transport of personnel from international and local NGOs, the
donor community, U.N. Agencies, and the diplomatic corps. This $1 million
in support of air transport allows entry into areas that are otherwise
inaccessible due to security concerns.



Regional Issues

The ongoing conflict in Angola has resulted in increased regional
tensions.  As cross-border violence continues, Angolan refugees continue
to flee to Zambia, Namibia, and Democratic Republic of Congo.  FAA attacks
against UNITA from northern Namibia have put resident populations at risk
and forced Namibia to deploy troops to secure its borders.



Refugees

Angolans continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries, with more than
100,000 fleeing since the resumption of fighting in 1998.  As of November
2000, an estimated 415,000 Angolans were refugees in other countries:
200,000 in Zambia; 170,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC);
20,000 in the Republic of Congo (ROC); 20,000 in Namibia;  4,000 in South
Africa; and 1,000 in other countries.  Some have settled spontaneously or
are urban refugees and others are in camps established by the host
country.

State/PRM programs in FY2000 provided $6.3 million in funding to assist
Angolan refugees.  State/PRM also provided funding to assist Congolese
refugees in Angola, including $450,000 to UNHCR and $100,000 to WFP. These
funds were channeled through the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), WFP, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM).



Internally Displaced Persons and Resettlement

The United Nations Offices for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(UNOCHA) reports that there are currently 1.15 million registered IDPs in
Angola.  Estimates for the total number of war-affected people in Angola
are less reliable due to the repeated uprooting of some populations, the
inaccessibility of insecure areas, and the integration of many IDPs into
new communities.  GRA provides a much higher estimate, of 3.7 million
war-affected Angolans, of whom 2.8 million are IDPs.  In general, the
donor community uses the UNOCHA’s estimate for planning activities. UNOCHA
estimates that 457,000 Angolans were newly displaced in 2000 –
significantly fewer than the one million who fled their homes in 1999. The
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 75% of IDPs are
women and children.

Shortages of food and potable water, in addition to epidemics, continue to
affect IDPs.  Displaced people are forced to compete for the limited
resources that humanitarian organizations are able to provide in spite of
security and access constraints.

By the end of December 2000, 288,000 IDPs had been resettled in 71
temporary locations, according to UNOCHA. The largest groups were in
Huambo, Malanje, and Huila. An additional 370,151 were in camps and
transit centers, and 536,430 had been integrated into communities.
Resettlement initiatives require arable land to enable self-reliance among
communities.  Adequate quantities of arable land are available in some
resettlement areas, such as locations in Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, Huambo,
Huila, and Malanje.  In many areas, however, land for cultivation by IDPs
is lacking or is limited because of insecurity and poor soil quality.

USAID/OFDA programs in FY 2000 provided nearly $3.6 million in emergency
assistance that targeted both IDP and vulnerable resident populations.
Grants to Africare, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), International Medical
Corps (IMC), Medecins sans Frontieres/Belgium (MSF/B), and the Development
Workshop implemented agriculture, emergency health and feeding, and water
initiatives in Benguela, Bié, Huambo, Malanje, and Kuito.

In addition to USAID assistance to IDPs in Angola, State/PRM provided $2
million to UNHCR to support IDP relief and reintegration programs in
northern Angola. In FY 2001to date, State/PRM has contributed $2.3 million
to UNHCR to support their IDP activities in Angola.



Food Security and Agriculture

Subsistence agriculture is the primary livelihood activity for nearly 85%
of Angolans.  Constant population movements, insecurity, and the threat of
landmines have prevented many Angolans from cultivating their land.  
Moreover, insecurity and the poor state of the infrastructure hamper trade
between food surplus areas and food deficit areas.  Although few estimates
are available that quantify the impact of the ongoing conflict, Angola –
once self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs - now relies on food imports to
meet its food requirements.  In addition to commercial imports, the
country required 330,000 metric tons (MT) of emergency food aid between
March 2000 and April 2001, according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO).

USAID/FFP responded to this need with 68,200 MT of P.L. 480 Title II
emergency food commodities in FY 2000, valued at nearly $50 million, for
WFP and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  The
ICRC/Angola program in 2001 gives assistance to 335,000 (67,000 families)
resident and displaced beneficiaries in Huambo Province, ensuring a
minimum standard of living while maintaining or improving the nutritional
and health status of both residents and IDPs in camps or collective
centers.  USDA contributed an additional 40,000 MT of 416(b) food
commodities valued at $28 million in FY 2000 to WFP.  The USAID/FFP and
USDA contributions to WFP were employed in programs aimed at food security
and programs aimed at nutrition.

WFP has announced that large-scale free food distributions will end in May
2001.  WFP will implement a three-pronged strategy that includes general
distributions for newly arrived IDPs and refugees (40%), emergency and
recovery safety nets (30%), and recovery food-for work programs (30%).  
This move away from general distribution fits with the GRA's relocation
plan to reduce dependence on food aid by moving IDPs from transit camps to
sites with access to agriculture.  These initiatives are expected to
lessen the reliance on food aid.  Local governments, NGOs, and GRA
agencies are participating in the distribution of seeds and agricultural
implements where supplies and access are available.

USAID/FFP has committed 38,200 MT of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food
commodities to date in FY 2001, valued at $18 million.

Drought-like conditions in certain areas continue to complicate the
agricultural situation.  At present, a "dry belt" stretches from Kwanza
Norte through Kwanza Sul to Huambo, Bié, parts of Huila, and into Kuando
Kubango.  Provinces in the south are worst affected.

USAID/OFDA provided more than $800,000 to Africare in FY 2000 to enhance
food security by the distribution of 339 MT of seeds and 55,000 farming
tools to 27,500 IDPs and residents in Bié Province.



Health

The health situation in Angola continues to worsen.  Three decades of
violence has destroyed water and sanitation systems throughout the
country. Health care services are nonexistent or inaccessible for the
majority of the population.  IDPs are moving into already overcrowded
urban and semi-urban areas without functioning health infrastructures. As
a result, the potential for epidemics in urban areas and IDP camps remains
high. Malaria, tuberculosis, measles, and diarrheal diseases are among the
most common ailments of Angolans. In FY 2000, recurrent epidemics of polio
and meningitis were reported.  Immunization coverage is generally low in
Angola.  UNICEF reported that an immunization campaign in 2000 to reduce
the incidence of polio and childhood diseases reached about three million
children, but lack of access to large areas hampered the campaign and
polio has yet to be eradicated in Angola.

A continuing threat to health and safety is the large number of landmines
- estimated at five to seven million - throughout the country.  The
National Institute for the Removal of Explosive Devices (INAROEE) reported
that 204 landmine accidents occurred in the first six months of 2000,
resulting in 100 deaths and 327 injuries. Many of the victims of mine
accidents are children.

In FY 2000, USAID/OFDA funded more than $2 million in health and water and
sanitation activities in Angola. Development Workshop implemented a grant
for nearly $400,000 to reestablish a piped water system in Huambo that
would benefit 130,000 people, including an IDP population concentrated
around Coalfa camp and residents of the Huambo City area. IMC received
nearly $1.9 million from USAID/OFDA to immunize children and increase
access to safe and hygienic deliveries for women of childbearing age in
the most vulnerable resident and IDP populations in several municipalities
in Huambo and Malanje provinces. The total targeted population was more
than 2.25 million. IMC also trained local health care workers, provided
emergency medical supplies, and developed immunization outreach
activities.

In FY 2001, USAID/OFDA is supporting OXFAM/Great Britain (GB) efforts to
provide safe, potable water to approximately 360,000 residents of affected
communities in and around the cities of Malanje, Caala, Huambo, and Kuito.
OXFAM also plans to provide and maintain 3,000 latrines to benefit 60,000
residents of those communities.



Nutrition

UNICEF reports that in areas where food distributions have been possible,
malnutrition rates had generally stabilized below 10% as of November 2000.
This is in contrast to the much higher rates in 1999 in areas under siege
such as Malanje, where the malnutrition rate reached 32%. Nevertheless,
pockets of malnutrition remain, depending on the security situation and
the ability of aid workers to distribute food and provide therapeutic
feedings. Acute malnutrition rates typically are seasonal, occurring
between September and April, the time between the planting and harvesting
of crops.

A high incidence of pellagra was observed in Kuito (Bié) in early 2000,
prompting UN and NGO nutritionists to recommend that supplements rich in
niacin be included in rations provided in feeding centers. The condition
persisted in September despite interventions. UNICEF reported that
although resources were adequate to treat new cases, they were not
sufficient to address what is apparently an endemic niacin deficiency that
might be caused by as yet undiscovered factors specific to Kuito.  
USAID/FFP is currently funding a Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance
Project (FANTA)  study to better understand the nature of pellagra in
Angola.  The project aims to be completed in the spring of 2001.

USAID/OFDA funded a $1.6 million grant to CRS to support nutrition
programs that were implemented in FY 2000. The program reached 40,000
beneficiaries and restored operational capacity to four therapeutic
feeding centers and four supplementary feeding centers in the Benguela
Province.  MSF/B also received $582,600 from USAID/OFDA to implement
nutritional feeding programs in Kuito to benefit 110,000 malnourished
children in both resident and IDP populations.

USAID/OFDA provided nearly $1 million in FY 2000 to support UNICEF’s
efforts to develop and promote national protocols for nutrition
rehabilitation. In October 2000, the GRA, international agencies, NGOs,
the Faculty of Medicine and the National Pediatric Hospital agreed on
national nutrition rehabilitation protocols that had been formulated
jointly under UNICEF leadership.

The USAID/FFP and USDA emergency food aid contributions to WFP and ICRC
benefited both nutrition programs and food security programs.  The total
contribution of these programs was valued at $78 million.  Please refer to
"Food Security and Agriculture" above for more information on food aid
contributions, which include both food security and nutrition assistance.


 
Coordination

In FY 2000, USAID/OFDA supported UNOCHA's coordination efforts through a
$600,000 grant.  USAID/OFDA also funded an Emergency Disaster Response
Coordinator (EDRC) and an Information Officer based at USAID/Luanda to
facilitate coordination efforts and to ensure that information and
reporting needs are met.



GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

The GRA demonstrated an increased commitment to coordinating and providing
humanitarian assistance in 2000. The GRA created a special
Inter-ministerial Commission to Coordinate Emergency Assistance (CISH) in
July 1999, comprised of representatives from the ministries of Planning,
Assistance and Social Reintegration, Agriculture and Rural Development,
Health, Administration and Territories, and Commerce. The committee is
responsible for carrying out emergency assistance programs and for
training provincial authorities in emergency management. UNOCHA, WFP, and
other U.N.  agencies have worked closely with the committee’s technical
subgroups to coordinate and implement programs to identify suitable land
for resettlement;  register IDPs; train provincial officials in emergency
planning, protection and registration methodology;  and coordinate the
distribution of seeds and tools.  The GRA authorized ICRC in 2000 to
purchase its fuel for its relief operations at a highly subsidized rate,
as a part of the GRA's contributions to meet humanitarian needs.

In July 1999, the GRA allocated $55 million to the National Program for
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance (PNEAH) for two phases of activity.  
Phase I focuses on humanitarian relief; Phase II focuses on land
distribution, resettlement, and the rehabilitation of social
infrastructure. Under Phase I, $15 million has been spent, while $23
million has been distributed to the governors directly in accordance with
the government's decentralization policy under Phase II. The remaining $17
million has been allocated to the governors. At this time, a more detailed
breakdown of funds that have been spent is not available.

Temporary resettlement activities are underway in some areas of the
country despite continuing violence. The GRA, in cooperation with U.N.  
agencies led by UNOCHA, finalized a basic set of minimum operational
standards for the temporary and permanent resettlement of IDPs.  In
mid-October these minimum standards were approved by the Council of
Ministers as "Norms for the Resettlement of Displaced Persons."  In
January 2001, the norms were formally incorporated into Angolan law.  
Humanitarian partners estimate that more than 315,000 persons currently
living in camps and transit centers should be identified for priority
temporary resettlement. The majority of these populations are concentrated
in the provinces of Bié, Huila, Moxico, and Bengo.


 
USAID/BHR AND USAID/ANGOLA INTEGRATED ASSISTANCE

USAID/Angola adopted a strategy that simultaneously implements relief,
transition, and development activities. USAID/BHR - including both
USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP - supports this integrated approach by funding
complementary programs in areas with the largest number of target
beneficiaries.

USAID/OFDA continues to address emergency relief needs in the health,
nutrition, water, sanitation, humanitarian coordination, and monitoring
sectors.



OTHER USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

- In FY 2000, USAID/AFR funded $7 million in agricultural recovery
programs, child survival activities, polio immunization and treatment
efforts, and civil society building activities throughout Angola.

- In FY2000, State/PRM provided $95.6 million in assistance for refugees
and conflict victims in Africa, not earmarked by country.  Of this total,
$50 million was provided to UNHCR towards its global appeal for Africa,
$42.4 million was provided to ICRC towards its emergency appeal for
Africa, and $3.2 million was provided to WFP to cover costs associated
with providing USAID and $A food commodities to refugees.

- In September 1999, the Department of State launched a coordination forum
with GRA, called the US-Angola Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC).  
The BCC addressed humanitarian issues in their first several meetings



U.S. GOVERNMENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO ANGOLA

Agency
Implementing Partner
Sector
Regions
Amount

FY2000
USAID 	$90,887,521

USAID/OFDA


$6,083,393


Africare
Food Security
Bié
$816,670


IMC
Health
Malanje, Huambo
$1,892,480


Dev. Workshop
Water/Sanitation
Huambo
$391,900


UNOCHA
Information Coordination
All
$600,000


UNDP
Civil/Military Liaison and Security
Huambo, Kuito, Malanje, Uige, and Luanda
$15,000


UNICEF
Health/Nutrition
All
$997,343


WFP
Air Transport
All
$1,000,000


WFP
Administrative
All
$370,000

USAID/FFP


$49,537,725


WFP
Food Assistance 
All
$37,361,025


ICRC
Food Assistance 
All
$12,176,700

$A 416(b)


$28,266,403


WFP
Food Assistance 
All
$28,266,403

USAID/AFR
Health, Agriculture, Civil Society
All
$7,000,000
State/PRM **	$2,550,000


UNHCR
IDP Assistance
Uige, Zaire, Luanda
$2,000,000


UNHCR
Refugee Assistance
Luanda
$450,000


WFP
Refugee Assistance
Luanda
$100,000
Total USG FY2000


$93,347,521

FY2001
USAID 	$20,447,732

USAID/OFDA


$4,149,932


OXFAM/GB
Water/Sanitation
Bie, Huambo, Malanje
$1,999,932


UNDP
Civil/Military Liaison and Security
Huambo, Kuito, Malanje, Uige, Luanda
$50,000


UNOCHA
Field Coordination
All
$600,000


UNOCHA
Emergency Response Fund
All
$500,000


WFP
Air Support
All
$1,000,000






USAID/FFP


$18,397,800


WFP
Food Assistance
All
$11,000,000


ICRC
Food Assistance
All
$7,397,800
State/ PRM	$2,300,000


UNHCR
IDP Assistance
Uige, Zaire, Luanda
$2,300,000
Total USG FY 2001	$24,847,732

* Several programs that were funded in FY 1999 and implemented in FY 2000
are outlined in the report above. However, only FY 2000 and FY 2001
funding is including in this table.

** State/PRM figures include only Angola-specific funding.  For more
information on regional assistance through State/PRM, see "Refugees" and
"Other USG Assistance" section above.


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