Angola: Humanitarian Situation in Camacupa, Bié Province

LUANDA, 20 April: - The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Angola today expressed concern over the critical humanitarian situation in Camacupa Municipality, Bié Province.
Large numbers of internally displaced persons began arriving in Camacupa town in March, the majority fleeing insecurity in Camacupa and Cuemba Municipalities. Local sources report that populations in these areas have not been able to cultivate due to persistent insecurity and that food shortages are increasing. Displacement has intensified during the past two weeks and several thousand new arrivals are expected shortly. According to Government sources, more than 2,230 people have also arrived at a camp near the town of Kuanza, 12 km from Camacupa. Conditions in this camp appear to be some of the worst in the country.

The Government and OCHA undertook a joint mission to Kuito on 11 April to assess the humanitarian situation in Camacupa. The mission confirmed the findings of an earlier nutrition screening that found high levels of both global and severe malnutrition in Catala camp. Local sources indicated that mortality levels may have reached emergency levels in the camp and that many recent arrivals are visibly malnourished.

Following the assessment, an emergency plan of action was drafted with local partners and is being implemented as a matter of urgency. The security situation in the Camacupa area, however, currently limits humanitarian interventions. The plan covers the Municipality and settlements along the Kuito - Camacupa road and includes training of health promoters and medical staff in Camacupa, ongoing nutritional screenings, installation of a Supplementary Feeding Centre, water and sanitation activities and distribution of clothing, kitchen kits and other non-food items. In an effort to alleviate the situation, WFP has been supporting Caritas since September 2000, providing food for communal feeding kitchens that reach approximately 2,000 children each month in Camacupa. As part of the new emergency plan, WFP is urgently exploring ways of expanding programmes to reach additional vulnerable people.

The current crisis in Camacupa has further aggravated the humanitarian situation in Bíe Province. During the month of March alone, 13,697 new displaced persons were registered. The poor state of the Kuito airstrip continues to seriously inhibit the delivery of humanitarian assistance. At present, agencies are able to bring in less than 50 percent of the assistance required to meet the needs of the population.

Humanitarian agencies are also concerned about proposed plans to resettle approximately 2,500 families currently living in the Camacupa camp in Kuito back to their original homes in Camacupa. Persistent insecurity and food shortages in the area may inhibit the safe resettlement of these populations. Agencies are working closely with local authorities to ensure that all resettlement in the Province is done on the basis of the Norms for the Resettlement of Displaced Populations, approved by the Government in October 2000. The Norms specify the pre-conditions that should be met prior to resettlement and the targets for social assistance at the new resettlement sites.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Ronald Sibanda, said: "We are distressed by the conditions in Camacupa and strongly support Government initiatives to bring-in urgently needed relief. We continue to be concerned about humanitarian conditions in areas that are inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. We are afraid that there may be many more areas like Camacupa where people are in serious distress."

For further information, please contact:

Information Unit
OCHA Angola
+244 2 444 321
thompson5@un.org

OCHA Angola
Av. Comandante Valódia 206 - 5 Andar Luanda Angola
Tel. (244 2) 444 321/448 205/441 072 - Fax. (244 2) 442 710
ucah@compuserve.com