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UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE COORDINATION UNIT (UCAH)
Fax : (244-2) 342710 Telefone: (244-2) 344321/348205/341072 Fax: (1-212) 963-3011 (Ext.4523) Fax: (1-212) 963-3011 (Ext. 4523) Av.Comandante Valódia 206-5? Andar E-Mail: ucah@compuserve.com Luanda - Angola
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN ANGOLA
Reporting period: 16 to 21 April 1999
General Situation
During the reporting period, road attacks continued to raise the number of civilian casualties. Monday, 19 April, another two vehicles travelling from Malange to Luanda, on the Lucala-Ndalatando (Kuanza Norte province) road, were ambushed and most of the passengers shot to death. The number of victims is still unknown as the vehicles (HIACE type) were jam-packed with people escaping from the besieged city of Malange. A few wounded survivors (mainly children) are being treated in Kuanza Norte hospital.
In Luanda, the Government announced last week that a liberalisation of the Kuanza Reajustado exchange rate would soon be applied. This could happen before the end of this month, when the National Assembly will discuss the State Budget.
The recruitment process of new recruits to ingress into FAA will continue until the end of this month. During a ceremony held last week to launch this exercise, the Minister of Defence Gen. Kundi Pahyama promised to strongly fight against corruption and a narchy inside the army.
On 21 April, Aldo Ajello, the special envoy of the European Union for the Great Lakes, visited Luanda, where he met the Minister of Defence, the Deputy Minister for External Relations and the Secretary General of the ruling party.
A Portuguese donation of medicines to Angolan public hospitals and centres of Internally Displaced has been announced this week by the Portuguese Ambassador.
A forum on trade, investment and economic development was held in Gaberone (Botswana). Meeting parties included delegations from the US and 14 members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The delegations solemnly promised to provide the S anctions Committee with all information they collect on this subject.
Humanitarian Situation
The humanitarian situation continued to worsen over
the reporting period. A new focus of tension emerged
in Moxico, with a tightening of the security belt around
the capital, Luena. Malange capital continued to be
shelled daily and humanitarian assistance
can only be send by road with a high level of risk.
WFP reported, however, that its stocks remain adequate
due to this regular -although risky - transportation
from Luanda.
In the central highlands the situation is relatively calm. However, the populations from both Bié and Huambo provinces require urgent added nutritional and health care. In Huambo province, food distributions from the humanitarian community are covering 92 ,924 people. Harvest was impeded or made very difficult in Huambo, Caála and Ukuma, due to insecurity in the fields. Also, the continuous rains have already damaged some of the crops.
In Uíge town, where neighbouring populations
have sought refuge due to recent instability in their
villages of origin, around 1,500 new IDPs arrived from
Ambuíla, and 920 from Songo. The local authorities
and the humanitarian community are verifying their
conditions and immediate needs.
On 20 April, a joint inter-agencies humanitarian mission travelled to Mbanza Congo (Zaire province) to assess the needs of humanitarian assistance and to propose solutions. As a result, MSF-H is preparing to assist the local hospital, while WFP is likely to begin short-term food assistance through food-for-work projects aiming the re-settlement of local population returning from other localities.
In Menongue, Kuando Kubango province, further information came out on the suspected outbreak of meningitis. According to humanitarian sources, the cases (27 in total) occurred in Mixingue area, being the first case reported was a young man from Kuanza Sul .
Humanitarian Assistance
In Luena, Moxico Province, to enable a swift humanitarian assistance to the new IDPs arriving in town, it has been decided to create a rapid response group (RRG), formed by MINARS, WFP and SCF. This RRG will identify and register the IDPs upon arrival whi le UTCAH (MINARS) and UCAH (UN) will participate on an ad-hoc basis. WFP, through implementing partners, is currently assisting 54,000 people, most of them IDPs, in a total of 600 MT of food per month. During the reporting period, UNICEF supported MINARS provincial delegation in Luena in assisting 700 families (more than 4,200 people). TEP schools are being implemented to achieve IDP children, in a joint project supported by UNICEF, NRC, WFP and the MoE.
In the same town, a Special Alternative Programme has been prepared by MINADER (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Extension), aiming at improving the food security level around Luena. This programme, prioritising the IDP community, has already been introd uced to the Provincial Government but not yet approved. As soon as this happens, it will be shared with the humanitarian community in order to be launched just in the next rainy season (September 99).
In the Central Highlands, the general situation remained the same, but the humanitarian community is seriously concerned about the inability of restoring their assistance stocks. Even though Kuito has not being shelled over the past two days, security res trictions do not yet allow humanitarian flights to be carried on. As a result, WFP is experiencing increasing shortages of stocks and at the present moment its provincial base is running out of food stocks.
Still in Huambo, an epidemic of scabies is affecting
both children and adults among the host population
and the IDP settlements in Huambo, Caála and
Ukuma municipalities. IMC (International Medical Corps)
already started a programme to fight scabies among
Caála IDPs, to prevent this disease to spread
further. Through CONCERN, UNICEF provided a project
aiming at malnourished children with kitchen utensils.
In Luanda, 18 MT of emergency supplies have been handed over by UNICEF to the Malange Solidarity Committee , in order to provide some relief to more than 10,000 people in need. Also, this UN Agency distributed soap, oil, wheelbarrows, and carpentry, elect rician and mason kits to teachers at several schools. However, it must be mentioned that the humanitarian community is having some difficulties in distributing food aid, as local trucks usually used for this exercise are now diverted for different purpose s. Notwithstanding, WFP feeding programmes reached approximately 25,000 by people mid-April.
In Uíge province, where the IDPs are rather integrated into the town population (relatives and friends), WFP is currently assisting around 25,000 people (to include the host population). The different programmes include emergency distribution for IDPs, vu lnerable groups feeding programmes, and food-for-work projects. Projects are being studied with the local Government structures in order to provide the target groups with some autonomy and dignity in an early future. The DRC (Danish Refugee Council) has a lready been re-supplied with non-food items and seeds, to be distributed to the IDPs and other vulnerable groups together with agricultural tools. It also assists the IDP children in the province with didactic material as well as with the construction of schools. In the provincial capital, UNICEF has provided the health delegation with a small generator to support the cold chain
In Benguela town, an UNICEF water project implemented through the NGO ADPP and the Provincial Water Directorate has been concluded. 9 water pumps were mounted, as well as 10 boreholes with handpumps installed. Ten laundry facilities and 147 family latrine s were concluded and handed over to the local communities. IDPs in provenance of Huambo were also benefited from UNICEF initiatives, with health kits, ORS and cloroquine given by this UN Agency.
Last month, the local Government in Menongue reported the arrival of 7,079 new IDPs from different municipalities of Kuando Kubango and Moxico. In Kuando Kubango, WFP is assisting an estimated 37,000 people through INTERSOS (an Italian NGO) and CARITAS, I EUA and IEU (organisations sponsored by different churches).
ACUTE FLACCID PARALYSIS An emergency vaccination campaign against polio has been jointly carried out in Luanda and Caxito over the weekend. The national health authorities and UNICEF, as well as the civil society have been dynamically involved. Preliminary results in Luanda pro vince show that a total of 634,368 children under 5 were immunised, while results from Bengo are not yet available.
As of 19 April, the total number of reported cases in
Luanda province was 487, while the death toll was 30.
Until the present moment, 7 cases were reported in
Benguela province (with 3 deaths) and 2 in Icolo-e-Bengo
municipality (Bengo province). However,
further investigation revealed that one of the cases
in Benguela actually has symptoms and signs of meningitis.
In the capital of the country, UNICEF trained 18 health
technicians, and arrangements are ongoing to place
them at 16 health posts for water chlorination activities.
CONSOLIDATED APPEAL 1999 - STATE OF FUNDING As of 14 April, the 1999 Appeal reached 42.4% (US 36,742,899) of its total requirements. However, it should be recognised that US$33,909,692 of funds received were in the form of food aid leaving only US$2,833,207 for other Appeal project.
Contributions from WFP, UNICEF, WHO, NGOs, as well UCAH Field Advisors and other UCAH units are acknowledged. UCAH/OCHA 5 Prepared by UCAH Information Unit This Publication is also available on the Relief Web at http://www.reliefweb.int
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 09:59:46 -0300 (GMT+3) From: IRIN - Extra <irin@ocha.unon.org> Subject: ANGOLA: UN UCAH Humanitarian Situation Report 16-21 April [19990428]
Editor: Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D
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