Humanitarian situation in Angola

Luanda, 20 September 2002 - The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Angola, Mr. Erick de Mul, expressed his concern about the critical humanitarian situation faced by more than 100,000 persons in Mavinga in the southern province of Kuando Kubango. Mr. de Mul returned from Mavinga yesterday afternoon after participating in a mission to the region.
Mavinga only became accessible to humanitarian partners following the cessation of hostilities in April this year. As part of an intensive effort to expand operations to newly accessible areas throughout the country, representatives of the Government and UN Agencies conducted a rapid assessment of critical needs in late April and developed a plan of emergency action. Although poor road conditions, broken bridges and mine infestation have made access to Mavinga difficult, three NGOs and one UN Agency, the World Food Programme, are currently working in the area.

Two quartering and family reception areas, Capembe and Chimongua (Matungo), were established near Mavinga in May. By late August, more than 74,000 ex-combatants and their families had gathered in these locations. The situation in Mavinga and the gathering areas deteriorated sharply after a mine incident in August led to closure of the airstrip for several weeks and delays in the delivery of food. Since 22 August, when the airstrip re-opened, four rotations of WFP cargo aircraft have been arriving per day, bringing more than 1,000 MTs of food assistance into the stricken area per month.

Mr de Mul said: "We are very worried about the situation in Mavinga. Of the new areas that have become accessible to humanitarian partners since April, this has been one of the most difficult to stabilise. Access is very difficult. The roads and bridges need repair and the airstrip is wearing down from all the flights bringing in assistance. The sheer numbers of people in need in Mavinga and surrounding areas is overwhelming."

Mr. de Mul continued: "The priorities right now are to increase the amount of potable water available in the town and to pre-position food before the rainy season begins. Other priorities include distribution of non-food emergency items, including blankets, and de-mining. We must move quickly before the rains make the situation even worse. In order to stabilise the situation, however, we must have additional resources."

According to Mr. de Mul, international donors have been generous in their response to the 2002 Inter-Agency Appeal for Angola, although he indicated that more funds are urgently required. "We've received half of what we requested this year, but we need more. Operations in remote places like Mavinga are expensive and we still need to expand activities to assist populations in areas we have not yet been able to reach. We're also concerned about locations where populations are returning. In mid-September, we received reports from the field that more than 10,000 people per day were returning to their places of origin. So, in addition to emergency interventions, we must immediately increase activities focusing on resettlement and return. We have to support all efforts to ensure that the pre-conditions specified in the Government's legal framework for return are respected at this crucial time."

Humanitarian partners are currently preparing the 2003 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Angola. The Appeal, developed in consultation with the Angolan Government, national and international humanitarian partners and donors, will focus of life-saving and resettlement and return activities.

Meanwhile, the UN continues to conduct assessments throughout the country to identify and prioritise the most critical needs in close collaboration with the Government and humanitarian agencies. Since April, more than 85 needs assessments have been done by humanitarian partners and hundreds of security assessments have been undertaken, aimed at expanding access as rapidly as possible. "We're still troubled by the grim conditions in several areas, including Mavinga, Bunjei and Alto Chicapa, and by on-going problems in Tchilembo. We want to do as much as we can to stabilise populations and help people strengthen their coping mechanisms. We count on the full participation of the Government and all humanitarian partners to continue finding effective, coordinated and timely solutions to these challenges."

Information Unit
OCHA Angola
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