Angola - OCHA: 05-11.Nov.98
Angola - OCHA: 05-11.Nov.98
HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN ANGOLA
Period covered: 05-11 November 1998
The information contained in this report was provided by the United Nations
Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit in Luanda (UCAH)
General Situation
The overall situation in the country remains relatively calm despite
occasional security incidents principally in the central region.
Nevertheless, information about newly laid mines and mine accidents
continue to be reported. Road access remains restricted limiting free
movement throughout the country. This leaves approximately half of the
national territory inaccessible.
The Provisory Political Commission of UNITA has held separate consultations
with several political entities during the past few days. The former leader
of UNITA Parliamentary Group, Mr. Chivukuvuku, took the initiative to
establish of a -platform of understanding- in order to reunite the UNITA
fractions and consolidate their political divergences.
On 10 November, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Angola, Issa Diallo, left the country in order to consult some of SADC and
Central African countries in search for more sustainable solutions for the
Angolan peace process.
General Humanitarian Situation
Due to the limited access a comprehensive monitoring of the humanitarian
situation can not be carried out. Consequently, the living conditions of an
estimated 40 percent of the population remain unknown to the humanitarian
community.
According to the assessment missions carried out within the safety
perimeter, a large majority of the vulnerable groups are subsistence
farmers. Therefore, the humanitarian community advocates for the allocation
of arable land to these populations in resettlement areas aiming at
reducing their vulnerability and the risk of long-term dependency.
Furthermore this policy will contribute to increase the total output of
agriculture production that was seriously threatened by the flight of
populations. Following this strategy, the Government has already identified
land for the IDPs in Malanje, U=EDge, Huambo, Kuito, Bengo, Benguela and
Hu=EDla. However, food aid is still needed at least until the first harvest
in January-February 1999.
After the Provincial Government allocated agriculture land for the IDPs in
Benguela, the NGOs and UN Agencies started this week seed distribution.
MINARS, IOM, UNICEF, WFP, CRS, OKUTIUKA and GAA distributed seeds, tools,
food protection and non-food items to the IDPs in Cubal, Chongoroi and
Bocoio. More agricultural inputs are needed in the province, which is a
fertile farming region and where the total number of new IDPs is
approximately 14,802.
To respond to the needs of the children in Malanje City, CARITAS has
decided to open additional nutrition centres for the children between 3 and
6 years. CARITAS and MINARS already run 26 PICs (Community Infant
Programmes) feeding daily over 6,300 children. CARITAS is also distributing
dry food rations to 15,000 vulnerable people (including orphans,
breastfeeding mothers, elderly and disabled people) since the beginning of
November. As CARITAS and MINARS have reached the limits of their resource
capacity, other organisations consider participating with additional
nutrition Programmes to address the current needs.
Levels of malnutrition often increase during the lean period which
coincides with the rainy season. This indicates that it is not only caused
by insufficient amount of food, but also by unsafe drinking water and poor
hygiene. In Malanje, where the general sanitation standard is
deteriorating, the Provincial Water Delegation, UNICEF and GVC are
initiating a Programme to repair and improve the public water and
sanitation system.
The southern province of Namibe, facing to the Namibian desert, has a
constant shortage of water. During the period under review, UNICEF drilled
a well in Tombwa, for the benefit of 250 families.
The humanitarian community is concerned about the situation in Cuando
Cubango where the population first was plagued by the drought and now is
facing the rainy season without seeds or tools to initiate agriculture
production. Due to its geographical location only few NGOs in the province
are carrying out humanitarian interventions. CARITAS-Germany has seeds and
tools stocked in Lobito for the vulnerable groups in Menongue, which should
soon be airlifted by WFP. Due to prevailing insecurity road access to the
province is limited and relief aid items need to be airlifted for high
costs.
In Uige, the Education Working group (one component of the Provincial
Humanitarian Coordination Group) is making big efforts to provide temporary
schooling for the IDP children.
Presently, the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and Danish Refugee Council are
gathering the needed didactic and logistic materials to enable the start of
the Programme. At the same time, CUAMM, an Italian NGO is establishing an
emergency health post in Uige for the benefit of the IDPs, thus=20
alleviating the burden of the poorly equipped public health structure.
The assessment mission carried out to N'Gove and Catata (Huambo) on 3
November reported a sad humanitarian situation in these two localities. Due
to insecurity, there are no humanitarian organisations presently operating
in the area.
Following the attacks and return movements thereafter, the structure for
social services in the areas is fragile and insufficient. There are no
health personnel, equipment or medicines to address the present problem of
malaria and diarrhoea. The educational activities, interrupted after the
attacks, still remain suspended. No agriculture activities have taken place
yet as rainfalls are limited there and also due to the lack of seeds and
tools. Since, the Provincial Government assured the security for the
humanitarian community, another assessment mission is scheduled to both
localities in the coming week. Future humanitarian interventions will be
coordinated between the NGOs currently operating in other parts of the
province.
As the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee decided on 2 November to extend
the mandate of UCAH through 1999, the Under Secretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello, sent the Chief of the
Emergency Liaison Brunch (ELB-OCHA), Kevin Kennedy, to Angola to analyse
the overall humanitarian situation. The UNDP Deputy Director for Emergency
Division, Frank O'Donnel, is also joining the mission.
On 6 November UCAH held a meeting with donors and all UN Agencies to
finalise the strategy for the Inter-Agency Consolidated Appeal for 1999.
The objective of the humanitarian community for the coming year is to focus
on emergency and life sustainability activities that complement the
Government Programme for humanitarian assistance.
Status of the Internally Displaced People
BASIC FACTS
Reported number of new IDPs since January 1998 489,253
Confirmed number of new IDPs since January 1998 331,137
Number of new IDPs assisted 193,381
CONFIRMED NEW IDPs IN THE MOST AFFECTED PROVINCES
Huila 68,943
Malanje 67,504
Huambo 36,255
Bengo 26,873
Kuanza Norte 24,375
Uige 17,453
Lunda Sul 16,901
Benguela 14,942
Zaire 14,379
Bie 12,703
Moxico 10,905
NOTE: The marked change in some of the confirmed numbers of IDPs is the
result of an ongoing effort in several provinces to recount the IDPs.
This report is available on the internet through RELIEFWEB:
http://www.reliefweb.int
Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit (UCAH) - Luanda
Mr. Fernando Costa Freire
Tel.: (244 2) 34.43.21/34.82.05
Satelite Fax: (1-212) 963.3011 (Ext.4523)
Complex Emergency Response / Consolidated Appeal Process (CER/CAP) - Geneva
Mr. Ernest Chipman - Chief
Mr. Ayodele Fowler
Tel.: (41 22) 788.1406
Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
Registry E-Mail: Annette.Choquet@dha.unicc.org
Complex Emergencies Division (CED)-New York
Ms. Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu
Tel.: (1 212) 963.1773
Fax: (1 212) 963.1388
E-Mail: buer@un.org
Information Service
Ms. Therese Gastaut - Director
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2300
Fax: (41 22) 917.0030
E-Mail: tgastaut@unog.ch