PRESS BRIEFING ON ANGOLA

The humanitarian situation in Angola was dramatic, with shocking statistics that were similar to those of Afghanistan, Erik de Mul, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for that country told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

Mr. de Mul said that currently in Angola, life expectancy was 44 years, with 33 per cent of all households living below the poverty line.  Thirty per cent of all children died before they reached the age of five while one third of the total population –- 4 million out of 12 million -- were displaced.  The displacement trend was continuing for two reasons; action by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) that forced people to move; and military "cleaning" operations, which again made people decide to leave their places of origin.

"We basically have an appeal to two parties," Mr. de Mul went on to say.  One was to the international community, to try and impress upon them the need to do more, and to do it quickly.  The other was to the Government of Angola.  The efforts of the Government of Angola in trying to address the needs of the population had been “too little, too late".  That was the assessment of the United Nations, the non-governmental organizations, and the international community at large. 

That assessment, continued Mr. de Mul, was also shared by the Government and resulted in a meeting of the Angolan Cabinet last Monday, in which they admitted that the situation was bad.  The outcome was a statement with a list of actions, which would be undertaken immediately to help alleviate the situation in the country.  

When asked to elaborate more about who was most to blame for the present humanitarian disaster in Angola, Mr. de Mul said it would be difficult to be that specific.  "We are basically trying to deal with the consequences of actions taken by both UNITA and the Government and it is very difficult to say how many people are on the move as a result of one or the other," he said.  Activities by both entities resulted in increased numbers of displaced people.  The problem was widespread and not limited only to certain provinces or areas of the country.

When asked how the Government was responsible for the movement of people, Mr. de Mul said that, in principle, when it came to internally displaced persons, the Government should be the first one to respond.  But, that had not necessarily been the case and the international community had been trying to pick up the pieces.  The point, nevertheless, was that all the non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies were at the end of their rope.  There was no longer any flexibility.  "They can only do as much as they can,” he said.  Hence the idea of appealing more to the donor community and the Angolan Government to do more and to do it fast", he said.

When asked what percentage of the internally displaced persons had access to emergency assistance, Mr. de Mul said the problem was that, for security and logistical reasons, access by the international community to the displaced was

limited.  The Government had been asked to try and develop systems to bring relief goods to the displaced, and not only military equipment and personnel, if they have access to them.

When asked how many out of the 4 million displaced had access to relief assistance, Mr. de Mul said he would estimate that about half of that figure could be reached by the international community.  But, regarding the other half, "there are pockets of people that we think are not reached at all".  Others, who could also not be reached, were being held by the Angolan authorities.

Responding to a question on sanctions, Mr. de Mul said he believed that sanctions had results.  The UNITA was weakening and had less access to the resources it needed for continuing the war.  Most people would also agree that, even with sanctions, a military solution to the Angolan conflict was probably not realistic.  The call again, therefore was to both parties to try and find ways and means to engage in dialogue aimed at a settlement.

Replying to another question about the movement of people, he said UNITA was in a guerilla warfare mode and was carrying out unpredictable actions in areas where it was difficult to judge where the action would take place.  Those actions resulted in the movement of people.  At the same time, the Government and the army were involved in trying to clean up areas where they thought UNITA elements were located.  In that process, people, for reasons of fear and insecurity, went on the move as well.

A correspondent wanted to know more about the window of opportunity in Angola that had been spoken about yesterday in the Security Council.  Mr. de Mul said it referred to the green light given to Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, in Luanda by the Angolan authorities.  That green light allowed him to find ways and means to approach UNITA and convince them to come to the table and engage in a dialogue.

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