Humanitarian community awaits ceasefire

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Monday called for a ceasefire following the death of rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, a move that if implemented would allow humanitarian assistance to areas of the country previously cut off by fighting. "We intend to establish bridges so that a ceasefire that will permit the demilitarisation of UNITA can be established as soon as possible," Dos Santos told reporters after meeting his Portuguese counterpart Jorge Sampaio in Lisbon. "If we move quickly and during this year conclude a ceasefire and the demilitarisation of UNITA, we can expect to have elections in Angola within a year and a half to two years," Dos Santos said. "It all depends on the good will of those who still have arms in their hands," he added. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson in Angola, Julie Thompson, said it was still too early to say what impact Savimbi's death would have on humanitarian efforts. The Angolan civil war, which has pitted the government against UNITA for nearly three decades, has created one of the largest internally displaced populations in the world. Since 1999, the total number has doubled from two million to over four million, which means that "almost one-third of the country's entire 12 million population is displaced", UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kenzo Oshima, recently told the UN Security Council. Said Thompson: "We are continuing our work as usual. Immediately, we do not see any large difference in the status quo, we have our priority areas and normal operations and those are continuing as usual ... (there are still) many people in inaccessible areas that need assistance." "Hopefully we will have news to help us in our operations, the humanitarian situation remains (linked) to political and military developments." Wilton Fonseca, of the United Nations Office in Angola (UNOA), told IRIN that a ceasefire announcement by Dos Santos - that was acceptable to UNITA - would help alleviate the humanitarian crisis. The Angolan leader is expected in Washington for talks on Tuesday. "Dos Santos will be pressured by (US President George) Bush to say something about the future." "A lot depends on that announcement and the resolution of the leadership of UNITA. UNITA issued a communiqué saying the leadership is still to be decided," Fonseca said. The announcement of an effective ceasefire agreed by both sides could allow aid agencies to reach people in need who have so far been inaccessible. Said Fonseca: "The (UNITA) guerrillas might stop operating in several regions, as soon as they stop operating the agencies could start going there and the whole scenario could change." Oshima told the UN Security Council in his report that the humanitarian agencies in Angola were working at full capacity. "In some locations, agencies are overwhelmed by the needs, with neither the means nor personnel to meet the emergency needs of the IDPs. In Kuito and Camacupa, more than 62,000 displaced persons have poured into the area during the last five months. An additional 12,000 entered during the first two weeks of January alone. There is almost no space to accommodate these people and resources have run out," he had warned. Aid agencies have also been hampered by Angola's poor infrastructure. Road and railway networks have been devastated by the civil war. Four of the airstrips used by humanitarian agencies are currently under repair. Damaged bridges also severely limit the use of surface routes. Oshima had noted that there were a number of steps that must be taken by the government in order to take "greater responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of its own people". These included the securing of roads to facilitate aid deliveries; the establishment of days of tranquillity in order to allow access to communities; the cessation of all forms of harassment of humanitarian workers by the authorities; and increased government funding for humanitarian programmes.