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, FY2000 October 8, 1999
Note: The last situation report was issued on August 31, 1998 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, in November 1994. The peace agreement provided for the integration of former UNITA forces into the GRA's armed forces and the government. In April 1997, the Government of National Reconciliation was installed and two months later military integration was declared complete. The past year, however, has brought significant political changes including the reversal of the achievements of the Lusaka Protocol, the stalemate of the peace process, and UNITA's withdrawal from the government. The resurgence of war, starting in late 1998, has resulted in a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Angola. NUMBERS AFFECTED According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Angolan government's Inter-Ministerial Commission established to address the humanitarian situation, an estimated three million Angolans have been severely affected by the war. Two million Angolans have been internally displaced. Of this total, almost one million have become internally displaced persons (IDPs) since December 1998. According to the Angolan Ministry of Social Assistance and Reinsertion (MINARS), approximately 50 percent of those affected are children. These figures apply to government-controlled areas only, as no data are available for areas outside the GRA's control. More than 281,000 people, 49,000 since April 1998, have fled Angola and are refugees in neighboring countries, according to the Department of State Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). CURRENT SITUATIO Security Confirmed reports indicate that attacks on humanitarian and civilian targets have escalated. Armed forces on both sides have harassed and detained humanitarian workers, forced military enlistment of Angolan national employees of humanitarian relief organizations in the field, confiscated communication equipment and vehicles, and diverted humanitarian aid. Few provinces within Angola are readily accessible to relief organizations due to armed attacks and landmines. For the few cities still accessible by road (Malange for example), relief commodities are now being delivered by unescorted commercial trucks because government-guarded convoys were repeatedly attacked. Since April 1999, seven humanitarian workers have been killed and two wounded in attacks on NGO vehicles. Access The lack of access, due to insecurity, to parts of the Angolan population has prevented assessment missions in areas outside government control. Even some cities and provincial capitals are accessible only sporadically by air. The GRA agreed that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) could send assessment teams to regions outside government control, however UNITA has not issued a similar public statement. The provincial capitals are islands of comparative security where IDPs continue to arrive to escape fighting in the countryside. Many of the roads into the larger towns and cities have been cut off due to conflict, mines or banditry. OCHA and the World Food Program (WFP) report that, of WFP's three major land routes for food distribution only parts of two are open (Luanda-Malanje and Namibe-Lubango- Matala). Food Security The GRA has begun a program to provide land for cultivation to IDPs and vulnerable families. According to WFP, 19,156 hectares have been provided to 78,925 IDP families for crop production. This figure represents less than one-sixth of the total number of IDPs. In the first eight months of 1999, WFP assisted and of 545,000 beneficiaries with 62,000 MT of food and will progressively increase its delivery level up to 17,000 MT (a monthly average of 7,750 MT). Relief organizations indicate that the health situation of IDPs and community members at feeding centers is deteriorating, and recent missions by BHR teams have determined that food is the most critical need. Many refugees who fled their land and moved into urban areas lost not only their crops, but also their seed reserves. In the besieged provincial capital of Planalto, malnutrition rates have decreased because of large aid shipments, but still many vulnerable persons remain balanced on the brink of malnutrition. Landmine Actions Landmines and unexploded ordnance exist in large numbers around IDP camps and on many roads; the estimated UN, GRA, and NGO figure is 7 million for the entire country. Access to food has become so poor that vulnerable populations are going into known minefields to forage for food. They are also commonly the victims of unexploded ordnance within otherwise safe areas. In the provincial capital of Malange, considered to be less threatening than Huambo or Kuito, 106 mining incidents involving 47 deaths and 36 amputations have been recorded by one demining NGO since January 1999. These figures are considered to be incomplete because of the continued influx of IDPs fleeing battle zones which increase the rate of mine incidents. BHR/OTI has funded successful demining efforts in the Huila province where IDPs will be temporarily resettled. Norwegian Peoples Aid has cleared more areas (more than 50 sites) in the first six months of 1999 than during any other six-month period since 1995. BRIEFS ON MOST AFFECTED PROVINCES Huambo According to NGO staff who visited Huambo on September 20-24, the city was quiet and empty. Both Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and police forces had left the city. There are numerous reports of fighting in and around Bailundo, north of Huambo. The FAA now claims to have captured the UNITA stronghold, although the government has made no official announcement and UNITA has not conceded defeat. According to outside observers, Bailundo has been virtually destroyed and hundreds are dead. The government has issued no casualty figures. WFP and NGOs temporarily drew down their personnel in Huambo to a minimum in anticipation of increased military activity in the area. ICRC remains fully staffed in the city and has registered more than 290,000 vulnerable people in the last two months. ICRC reports that although cases of malnutrition are still seen in Huambo, the level of malnutrition no longer seems to be increasing, except in some outlying districts. Bie Increased military activity in Kuito during September caused WFP and NGOs to evacuate nonessential staff. The airport was closed several times throughout the month, and fighting continues outside the city. In late September, up to 10,000 people fled to Kuito from the Catabola region in the east. WFP has started general food distribution to 71,000 beneficiaries from stocks on hand. ICRC is still operating at full staff in the city. Kuito's food security situation is more stable than that of Malange or Huambo, but this may change quickly if the city continues to be cut off and if people continue to flee fighting in the countryside in great numbers. Malange The city of Malange was shelled from the south on September 9, and continuous fighting is reported on the outskirts of the city. WFP delivered 3,000 MT in September to 200,000 people. Food interventions have reduced but not eliminated deaths due to malnutrition, and the health, sanitation and food security situation in the city can be accurately characterized as both deplorable and fragile. Uige There is increased military activity around Uige and thousands of IDPs have fled the northeastern area of the province to Negage and Uige city where two reception centers have been set up to register IDPs. It is estimated that almost 10,000 IDPs are now in Negage and Uige city being assisted by WFP and UNICEF. As the road between Songo and Uige is insecure, there is less traffic between the two cities, which means fewer agricultural products and higher prices. Huila The situation in this province has seriously deteriorated in the last month due to fighting and displacement. Huila's local government and NGOs are identifying land for cultivation by IDPs and are supporting temporary resettlement with food and non-food distributions. As of August 30, more than 730 IDP families had received land to cultivate. Moxico A commission to reinstall and distribute land to IDPs has been established. The commission comprises humanitarian organizations including WFP, Lutheran World Federation, and Save the Children USA, and is working with MINARS on land distribution to 27,268 displaced families. Food commodities are being distributed to 12,000 IDPs in camps. The local government is requesting distribution of food packages to families returning to their villages of origin, but scarce resources and the presence of landmines have delayed this operation. RECENT APPEALS ICRC has issued a new general appeal for Angola for $28 million based on nutritional assessments carried out in the first six months of the year. ICRC has developed an emergency assistance plan in response to anticipated food shortages from September to December 1999. The program will support relief operations to meet immediate needs, begin an emergency rehabilitation program for agriculture and reforestation, and provide basic support to health posts and hospitals in the Planalto. Given the nature and size of the operation, ICRC has decided to set up its own pipeline and inland transport infrastructure. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS The GRA has issued an emergency humanitarian assistance plan for vulnerable populations and created an Inter-Ministerial Commission to improve the coordination of humanitarian aid within the GRA. The Commission, headed by the Minister of Planning, has been allocated $21.5 million to execute its mandate (none of these funds has yet been expended). Senior U.S. Government officials met with their Angolan counterparts in June 1999 in Washington to plan the establishment of a Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) to expand coordination between the two countries. A delegation from USAID/BHR went to Angola at the end of July and again in August, to consult with the GRA and other parties on humanitarian assistance issues. Along with the U.S. Ambassador and the USAID/Angola Mission Director, the delegation met with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, the FAA, Ministers of Health, Defense, and Social Assistance and Reinsertion. GRA military leaders agreed to assign FAA Civil-Military Liaison Officers to coordinate with UNDP Security Liaison Officers who will represent the humanitarian community. These officers will work in Luanda and in select provinces increase dialogue, coordination, and the exchange of security information. Most FAA Liaison Officers have been appointed, and BHR/OFDA has provided almost $1 million to UNDP to support their Security Liaison Officers (yet to be appointed). In Malange, the FAA officer has already responded to a theft of food from a WFP warehouse and facilitated the return of the food. The delegation also met with the directors of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), OCHA, World Food Program (WFP), non- governmental organizations and representatives of the donor community. The inaugural meetings of the US- Angola BCC were held on September 30 and October 1, 1999. U.S. and Angolan officials affirmed the importance of implementing a comprehensive strategy for peace to end the war in Angola, including advancing economic, political, and social reform. Both governments agreed to work together to address issues facing the humanitarian effort including the security of humanitarian workers and goods and access to populations in need. USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE The U.S. government has been providing humanitarian assistance to Angola since 1989. Over the past five years alone, the U.S. has provided over $400 million in assistance. Toward the 1999 WFP food aid appeal for almost $24 million for the period that ended August 30, the USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP), contributed more than $20 million in food and cash (including transportation, distribution and storage of commodities). For the September to December 1999 WFP appeal, FFP provided commodities valued at $13.5 million, more than one- third that was requested. WFP is now reporting that its pipeline is improving and that food distributions are expected to rise in the next few months. In September 1999, USAID/OFDA approved over $7 million in grants for emergency assistance. These funds will provide nutrition, water, sanitation, health, and agricultural production activities through NGOs, support UCAH's Field Coordination Unit, and provide Security Liaison Officers within UNDP. This is in addition to funds provided earlier in FY 1999 to support WFP's internal transport plane. BHR/OFDA - FY 1999: Ambassadors Authority $ 25,000 OFDA Information Support $ 45,000 Grant to WFP for transport airplane $ 100,000 BHR/OFDA support to UNDP for five security liaison officers $ 950,000 Grant to Africare for improved food security to benefit 5,000 small farmers for 7 months $ 195,000 Grant to Catholic Relief Services for emergency nutritional and medical care program $ 1,566,626 Grant to International Medical Corps for emergency integrated health care program Huambo and Luena $ 1,692,000 Grant to MSF/B for emergency assistance to malnourished children in Kuito and Luena $ 64,409 Grant to World Vision for emergency relief program in Kwanza Norte and Malange provinces $ 1,939,259 Grant to UNOCHA Field Coordination Unit $ 540,000 Total $8,074,316 BHR/OTI - FY 1999: $261,395 BHR/FFP - FY 1999: $ 33,682,586 USAID/AFR - FY 1999: Resettlement and Rehabilitation (includes food production, child survival, vulnerable groups and demining activities). Total $ 10,520,000 USDA Title I food aid $10,000,000 TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN FY 1999 (not including State/PRM): $ 62.5 million State/PRM - FY 1999: State/PRM has supported Angola through their regional programs which are not separated by country. ICRC received $50 million for regional affairs and UNHCR received $44.1 million for regional affairs. distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org appeal fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -