Angola - OFDA-01: 31-Aug-98
Angola - OFDA-01: 31-Aug-98
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) 1998 August 31, 1998
Note: The last situation report was issued on July 15, 1997.
BACKGROUND
After 20 years of civil war, 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 unity government of national reconciliation. Since the
signing of the Lusaka Protocol, the complexities of implementing the
peace process have remained apparent. Although more than one million
internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned to their homes and 340,000
no longer needed U.S. government-provided food assistance, all
remaining actions under the Lusaka Protocol have not been completed due
to the increased state of insecurity during the past several months.
On June 26, 1998, the United Nations (U.N.) Special Representative to
Angola, Maitre Beye, died in a plane crash in Cote d'Ivoire while
attempting to gain support from various African leaders in addressing
the faltering peace process in Angola. His death added to the general
uneasiness of the Angolan population and to the political impasse in
the peace process. U.N. Special Envoy to Angola, Lakhdar Brahimi,
arrived on July 31 in Luanda and is expected to report his
recommendations to the U.N. Secretary General on the future role of the
U.N. in Angola. The newly-appointed U.N. Special Representative to
Angola, Issa Diallo, traveled to Luanda on August 28 and is attempting
to restart the peace process. On July 1, the U.N. Security Council
imposed financial and trade sanctions on UNITA for failing to comply
with the actions still remaining under the Lusaka Protocol. The United
States implemented these sanctions by executive order on August 19.
The sanctions imposed include: 1) freezing UNITA assets in the United
States; 2) banning the importation of any diamonds not certified by the
GRA; and 3) banning the sale of mining equipment.
NUMBERS AFFECTED
According to the United Nations Humanitarian Assistance Coordination
Unit (UCAH), 810,000 Angolans are internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Of this total, 210,000 have become IDPs since the beginning of 1998,
and 118,000 of these new IDPs are being assisted. In addition,
UNHCR/Kinshasa reports that between 25,000-30,000 Angolans have fled
into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) since May. These new
refugees are in addition to an estimated 20,000 people who crossed
earlier into the DROC. The GRA estimates that 650 people have been
killed, 500 wounded, and more than 600 people kidnapped, as a result of
the recent wave of violence.
Total U.S. Government (USG) Humanitarian
Assistance FY 1998 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $65,842,712
CURRENT SITUATION
NGOs Reassess Their Relief Activities. Although Angola's capital,
Luanda, remains calm, the overall security situation in some of the
rural provinces has deteriorated significantly during the past several
months, with areas which were previously calm now experiencing unrest.
Travel within Angola remains unsafe due to banditry, undisciplined
police and troops, continued low-intensity military actions in a number
of interior provinces, and unexploded land mines in rural areas.
According to the GRA, UNITA occupies more than 90 localities throughout
the country. U.N. sources report that both the GRA and UNITA are
actively recruiting military fighters and new land mines have been laid
in several contested regions. Sustained dialogue between the GRA and
UNITA has faltered as hostile propaganda from both sides has
intensified.
The recent escalation in civilian attacks and military activities has
prompted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international
groups to reassess their programs in some rural provinces. In many
cases, the relief community has temporarily suspended its operations in
the local communities and the expatriate staff have retrenched to the
provincial capitals. The U.N. Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) was
extended until September 15 by the U.N. Security Council on August 13.
However, the limited number of military personnel remaining under MONUA
and the lack of access have increased the difficulty in providing
escorted humanitarian convoys to those contested areas with emergency
needs.
The United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) reports that there are
sufficient rural food supplies for the present and most IDPs are in
relatively good health. A WFP assessment is currently underway to plan
for food contingencies for the remainder of 1998 and throughout 1999.
Drought conditions have seriously affected the southern provinces of
Cuando Cubango and Cunene. WFP is taking action to provide emergency
food assistance for more than 100,000 affected people.
The GRA Continues to Lose Territory and Control. In a reversal of the
peace process, recent fighting among unidentified factions and the GRA
has resulted in the GRA losing one-fifth of the towns that UNITA turned
over as part of the Lusaka Protocol. The GRA lost control of the
northern town of Mussende after heavy fighting on July 28. In an
earlier clash, at least 105 people were killed and another 100
residents were injured in a diamond-rich area of Bula, Lunda Norte
Province on July 22.
During the weekend of August 8-9, 145 people were killed in a massacre
in Malanje province, where diamond mining is concentrated. GRA sources
also report that the Malanje towns of Kela, Chandele, and Kambaxi are
no longer under their control. New fighting is concentrated in
Milando, a town on the eastern border of Malanje province, some 31
miles from Angola's richest diamond-producing area in the Cuango
Valley. According to U.N. sources, more than 25,000 people have been
displaced by the fighting in Malanje province during the last six
weeks. The GRA and UNITA opposition forces are accusing each other for
the renewal of armed clashes and the killings that have occurred.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Because of the continued need to provide humanitarian assistance in
Angola, recent USG relief efforts have retained flexibility to respond
to the changing military situation on the ground. With the pace of the
Angolan peace process slowing as the number of military skirmishes
increase, relief organizations are again providing for emergency needs
while trying to implement grants which lead to political, civil, and
economic development.
In November 1997, USAID developed a child survival "sector" strategy to
address the needs of vulnerable children in the country with the third-
highest child mortality rate in the world. NGOs were encouraged to use
existing personnel, equipment, and infrastructure to propose
interventions that would prevent: 1) cases of malaria; 2) diarrheal
diseases; and 3) pneumonia and other acute respiratory infections; and
to improve: 4) nutrition/maternal- child care; and 5) immunization
coverage.
In FY 1998, BHR/OFDA is assisting the USAID/Angola mission in
maintaining an emergency response capability, promoting preparedness
and mitigation activities, and implementing grants under the child
survival program. BHR's Office of Food for Peace (BHR/FFP) has
expanded its efforts from not only promoting food-crop self-reliance
but also maintaining food security. BHR/FFP has provided 55,660 MT of
emergency food commodities to Angola in FY 1998.
BHR's Office of Transition Initiatives (BHR/OTI) has conducted a survey
of the needs of land mine survivors and continues to provide management
and administrative support for Voice of America's local news reports
being broadcast in Angola. In FY 1998, BHR/OTI has also been involved
in promoting land mine action activities through Africare and World
Vision Relief and Development (WVRD). BHR/OTI community reactivation
(empowerment) activities continue in more than 100 locations within
Benguela and Huambo provinces.
USAID's Bureau for Africa (AFR) is supporting programs which are
strengthening civil society and political institutions in ways that
promote national integration and reconciliation as well as community
rehabilitation. USAID/Angola is maintaining its current project
portfolio while the mission monitors closely the overall security and
humanitarian situation.
BHR/OFDA Assistance
Catholic Relief Services - Emergency Preparedness
and Response Training for NGO staffs . . . . . . . . . . . $250,000
International Medical Corps - training-of-trainers
for maternal-child health and immunization . . . . . . . . $1,374,422
MSF/B - therapeutic/supplemental feeding and
basic health care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $285,200
U.N. Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian
Affairs (UNOCHA) - Assist the humanitarian
coordination and support a quick response fund . . . . . . $1,300,000
WFP - Support for a Vulnerability Assessment
Mapping Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $761,000
WFP - Support for light aircraft and
transportation of non-food items . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000,000
Administrative costs for a health field officer
and information officer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $57,050
Total BHR/OFDA - FY 98 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,027,672
BHR/OTI Assistance
Survey of land mine survivors in Angola . . . . . . . . . $19,000
Creative Associates community
reactivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,499,690
Voice of America's news, information, and
conflict resolution programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . $83,250
Total BHR/OTI - FY 98 (to date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,601,940
BHR/FFP Assistance
5,840 MT to CARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,440,500
Additional operating expenses for CRS . . . . . . . . . . $16,600
2,910 MT to Save the Children Fund/US . . . . . . . . . . $2,755,800
35,550 MT to WFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $21,029,300
11,360 MT to WVRD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,465,300
FFP Officer in Luanda (one year) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $205,600
Total BHR/FFP - FY 98 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $33,913,100
USAID/AFR Assistance
Resettlement and Rehabilitation (includes
food production, child survival, vulnerable
groups and demining activities) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13,300,000
Democracy and Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,000,000
Total USAID/AFR - FY 98 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . $20,300,000
STATE/PRM Assistance
International Medical Corps (IMC) grant
to restore medical infrastructures . . . . . . . . . . . . $800,000
UNHCR - Support for the 1998 Consolidated
Inter-agency Appeal for Angola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,200,000
Total State/PRM - FY 98 (to date). . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,000,000
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 1998 (to date) . . . $65,842,712
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