PRESS BRIEFING ON ANGOLA

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING ON ANGOLA

The Chief of the Emergency Liaison Branch of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Kevin Kennedy briefed correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon on his mission to Angola to assess humanitarian needs. He was joined by the Deputy Director of the Emergency Response Division of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Frank O'Donnell.

Mr. Kennedy said much attention had been paid, rightfully, to the recent political developments in Angola. The impasse regarding the crisis in that country was deeply regretted and carried a high humanitarian cost for the people of the country and for humanitarian workers. The murder this past weekend, of the World Food Programme (WFP) staffer, Elias Sayala, who was the second WFP staffer killed in Angola in the past two months, was a grim reminder of the difficult conditions they all faced in that country.

The combination of the stalemate and the political process, combined with a gradual increase in fighting, had caused a visible deterioration of security in many Angolan provinces, particularly in the North and North-East, he said. Consequently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had to halt the repatriation of Angolan refugees. That had resulted in a rapidly increasing number of internally displaced persons, a drastic reduction in rehabilitation activities and reduced access to affected populations by humanitarian organizations.

He said there were 331,000 new internally displaced persons since last April. Of that number, 150,000 had been displaced since 1 September, representing an 82 per cent increase in approximately two months. They were unable to render assistance to some 100,000 of the total number of displaced persons, due to security and access constraints.

It should be noted, he added, that the new internally displaced persons were in addition to the already existing caseload of 1 million, resulting from previous rounds of fighting. That meant that there were between 1.3 to 1.4 million internally displaced persons, against a population of approximately 12.3 million. That gave an idea of the dimensions of the problem.

The new internally displaced persons had also resulted from a fear of fighting, he said. The people moved when they sensed that the situation might deteriorate. For many of the affected families, about 70 per cent of whom comprised women and children, that was the second or third time they were being displaced within a decade. That displacement took place against the backdrop of generally deplorable humanitarian situations for large segments of the population, particularly in the areas of health, education and sanitation.

With regard to education, he said only about 6 per cent of the eligible population completed sixth grade, which was the generally accepted standard for literacy. The lack of an adequate health structure was particularly disturbing, as it was affecting the general health conditions of the Angolan people, in particular, that of the most vulnerable groups. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the mortality rate of Angolan children under five years of age was nearly 30 per cent. That was easily among the worst in the world.

He said that, despite the efforts of the Government and of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations -- international organizations that were working to reinforce the public health system -- most of the cities lacked the necessary equipment and regular medical supplies. Thus, they could not attend to the patients, who were often forced to buy their own medicines in the open market at exorbitant prices. The situation was likely to deteriorate even more with the beginning of the rainy season this month, which often resulted in an increase in malaria and other epidemics that were too often fatal, especially for children.

It was estimated that about 30 per cent of the Angolan population did not have access to safe drinking water, he said. As was mentioned by the Secretary-General's Spokesman, Fred Eckhard, they were also very concerned about access to affected populations, due to the growing insecurity. Although the situation was extremely fluid, they generally lacked access to about 50 per cent of the country, particularly in the North, East and Central parts of Angola.

Against that background, he said humanitarian organizations had been forced to use expensive air transportation, in order to reach provincial capitals. Yet, they were often not able to venture far beyond the capitals on arrival. Therefore, the information they had on the overall assessment of the health and nutrition status of the Angolan population was extremely limited. About 30 per cent of the population was beyond their view.

In addition, the deterioration of the political and security situation in Angola had also affected the national demining programme, he continued. It was estimated that there were up to 10 million mines buried in Angola. Initially, the demining activities of the national mining brigades had to be restricted to provincial capitals. As the security situation worsened, the ability to provide logistics and administrative support by road diminished and expensive and very scarce air assets had to be used. The net result was that over the last four to five months, of the seven demining brigades that were operational, only one had been able to work.

He said there had been alarming reports of the relaying of mines and all parties had been urged to refrain from that practice. He would like to highlight the important role that the United Nations Mission of Observers in Angola (MONUA), had played in assisting humanitarian operations. The mission

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had been able to provide convoy escorts for three to four major convoys a month, which were vital for the continuation of humanitarian activities. However, due to the mission's decreased size, it had been unable to field sufficient escorts to provide full coverage and a full security umbrella. Currently, humanitarian agencies could only deliver half of the 5,000 tons of supplies they would like to deliver by road in a month. The rest had to go by air or not go at all.

With regard to immediate actions and steps intended to be taken within the larger humanitarian community, he said during his recent mission discussions and agreements had been reached with the Government of Angola to form a joint consultative committee on issues of access. That would facilitate access and alleviate many of the problems encountered on the ground. Agencies of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations would continue to provide emergency assistance in food, health, water and sanitation, security conditions permitting.

He said, in light of the problem of internally displaced persons, the humanitarian effort was focusing on supporting both the displaced persons and the "local coping mechanisms of the impacted communities", who often suffered just as much as the displaced persons. With the help of the Government, they had attempted to negotiate for land for people to plant and also to provide the people with seeds and tools.

He said his office had urged the continuation of the United Nations mission in Angola as an essential element for humanitarian assistance. In that regard, his office was in the process of issuing a new inter-agency appeal for emergency needs in Angola over the next 12 months. That appeal would amount to approximately $66 million. They would continue to urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law, the safety and security of humanitarian workers and to provide access to all populations.

A correspondent asked when the appeal was expected to be launched, and Mr. Kennedy responded that the event was scheduled for the second week of December in Geneva. In a follow-up, the same correspondent asked if there was a current appeal going on and how much it had raised. Mr. Kennedy confirmed that there was one, which sought a total of $80 million. The response had been fairly encouraging, with about $53 million received so far.

Another correspondent noted that the Angolan problem had gone on and on, without end in sight, gulping enormous amount of international funds. Did Mr. Kennedy's recent mission to the country feel frustrated by the situation? he asked. In response, Mr. Kennedy said he did, adding that the current consolidated appeal on behalf of the country focused very much on the transition strategy of the international community, predicated on a peace process that seemed to be moving along on track.

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Continuing, he said that the peace process had been reversed, with outbreaks of fighting in very large parts of the country. The situation was quite depressing, considering that Angola was a massively poor country, with millions of people in a state of destitution in the capital, Luanda. It was a tragic situation, which the current political impasse risked making considerably worse. The outlook was quite grim and he did not see how things could improve, unless peace and access were restored.

To a question asking if he would advocate an increase in the size of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Angola, as a means of improving the humanitarian problems on the ground, Mr. Kennedy said "we would like to see a peacekeeping force that is adequate to provide appropriate security for humanitarian operations". In his view, the size should be determined according to the requirements of the mission.

Mr. O'Donnell added that the role and importance of the peacekeeping force went beyond what might be considered to be purely a peacekeeping operation. It had been repeatedly reiterated by people from non-governmental organizations, donor countries, United Nations international agencies and from the human rights division of MONUA itself, that the mere presence of an international body or international actors in local communities was a significant factor in dissuading acts of impunity, violence and efforts to displace people.

Another correspondent asked if the problem of accessibility was expected to improve or worsen in the next few weeks. Mr. Kennedy said that he did not anticipate a major change in the immediate future. His estimation was that unrest and military activity would continue.

A correspondent asked how much worse the Angolan crisis was expected to get, and sought confirmation of the potential for "donor fatigue" -- a situation in which the donor countries assisting humanitarian operations in the country would be forced to give up, due to the elusiveness of peace. In response, Mr. Kennedy confirmed that the situation was getting worse. Should the fighting intensify and spread, it was an obvious conclusion that humanitarian conditions would deteriorate. When the security and access problems were added to that, there could indeed be a risk of donor fatigue.

Mr. O'Donnell added that Angola was a potentially very wealthy country, with vast natural resources, including oil, diamonds and other precious commodities. Of course, that made it all the more unfortunate that, for so many decades, peace had been so elusive. Thus, donor fatigue was a problem to be considered. But, at the same time, most of the donors that had been active in the humanitarian sphere in the country also had strategic interests in some of the country's resources. It would be unfortunate if those donors were to abandon the plight of the population and, at the same time, pursue those interests.

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What would happen to the 100,000 displaced persons who lacked humanitarian access, in terms of food and medical care? a correspondent asked. In response, Mr. Kennedy said, as could be imagined, the ones to which they lacked access, they also lacked information. In some cases, however, especially involving those that had been dislocated time and again, the displaced persons who left before the fighting reached their areas carried along many of their social structures intact. That had tended to reduce their humanitarian requirements.

A correspondent noted that both sides to the Angolan conflict had, in the past, used the obstruction of humanitarian assistance as a weapon of war. Was that still the situation? he asked. Mr. Kennedy said that still appeared to be the case, although that was now being done in a more indirect way. The focus of the warring parties had been on military developments and movements, although that obviously impacted on humanitarian assistance activities.

To a question about long-term food and medical care programmes, Mr. Kennedy said the food and health assistance programmes in the country were ongoing and had been on for some time. On an average month, food deliveries in Angola ranged from 5,000 to 7,000 metric tons, although that could vary according to demands and requirements. One of the major problems was the inability to deliver food and to stock up regional centres, due to accessibility difficulties. In terms of further assistance, the focus would be on rehabilitation, reconstruction and development.

A correspondent drew attention to criticisms that one side in the Angolan conflict was being helped more than the other. Was that a major concern? he asked. How was it being addressed? To that, Mr. Kennedy said that had, indeed, been a major concern. However, rather than on one or the other side, the humanitarian effort focused mainly on needs. With the limited access due to the security situation, it had been hard to reach all affected populations.

In a follow-up, another correspondent said the international community blamed the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) far more than the Angolan Government for the failure of the peace process. International humanitarian agencies involved in aid operations in the country were, in a sense, pouring money down the drain. Did it make sense to decline to help the people who supported UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi and for humanitarian workers to withdraw from areas controlled by UNITA?

In response, Mr. Kennedy said he did not think that they were pouring money down the drain, to begin with, and furthermore, humanitarian assistance went to the basic human needs -- food, water, sanitation and health. That was money well spent on innocent people affected by the war. He could not see humanitarian agencies penalizing the people because of the activities of any of the forces involved in the conflict. Access was a problem. It had been difficult to deal with UNITA representatives to arrange for humanitarian assistance in areas under their control.

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