Aid workers want end to "obstruction"

The Angolan government is expected to remove two provincial governors who have been "obstructions" to the delivery of much needed aid, IRIN has learnt.

UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kenzo Oshima, recently told the UN Security Council the Angolan government needed to take "greater responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of its own people".

In order to do this, Oshima said, the Angolan government needed to take several steps, among them the "cessation of all forms of harassment of humanitarian workers by the authorities; and increased government funding for humanitarian programmes".

Aid workers told IRIN on Wednesday that it appears the government is taking this to heart. The governors of two of the worst affected provinces, Luis Paulinho dos Santos of Bie and Flavio Fernandes of Malanje, are expected to be removed. Although, "apparantly the official letter of removal has not been signed yet by the President (Eduardo dos Santos)", who has been on a trip to the United States.

In Kuito and Camacupa, in Bie province, more than 62,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have poured into the area during the last five months. An additional 12,000 entered during the first two weeks of January. Oshima said in such locations "(humanitarian) agencies are overwhelmed by the needs, with neither the means nor personnel to meet the emergency needs of the IDPs".

"There is almost no space to accommodate these people and resources have run out," he warned.

Aid agencies have not only had to battle a lack of resources and infrastructure, transport and telecommunications networks in Angola are almost non-existent. The agencies have in some cases also battled provincial governments that one worker, who cannot be identified, labeled "obstructionist".

A humanitarian agency source told IRIN that the governor for Bie "officially announced it himself that he's leaving, my understanding is that vice governor (Antonio Goncalves) is in charge". There has, as yet, been no official announcement by the national government.

Said the official: "Fernandes (of Malanje) is still there but the expectation is that he will be going."

Reports in the private press in Angola have openly stated that allegations of gross corruption could be behind the sacking of the two governors.

A major bone of contention between aid agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Bie governor Dos Santos has been the repair, or lack thereof, of an airstrip crucial to the delivery of aid.

Said the aid worker: "The airstrip is available for use between 6.30am and 3pm, beyond that it is closed for repair of potholes caused by (recent) rains. But if that airstrip had been repaired earlier we would not have potholes, this has been going on for two years.

"The information we have is that money was given to the governor so the work should have been done. We think it's because of this, and other things, that he was moved away from Kuito."

An NGO official told IRIN: "The airstrip (in Bie) is in a very poor state, it's been that way since 1999 if not even longer than that. It's like Swiss cheese - full of holes. The repairs being done are very superficial."

"It's a very temporary quick fix all the time, they repair one end and the rest of the runway gets worse and worse, its a never ending story because its not done properly, it means that the actual usage of the airstrip is limited and the weight of cargo's that can go in is limited," the worker said.

In Malanje aid workers alleged the governor had been obstructionist - to the point of impounding aid agency vehicles. "There are repeated difficulties with provincial government harassment of humanitarian workers," another aid official said.

The impounding of NGO and aid agency assets had caused some to reconsider their involvement in the province. "He (the governor) makes life difficult for everyone. Because of him an aid agency has blacklisted Malanje and will not be implementing any projects there until their vehicle is returned," a source said.

The situation was so dire that last year "we got the military to put it in writing that they will not impound our vehicles".

Whether the removal of the two governors will better the situation is not certain. "The agencies have consistently said government must increase its responsibility, that the two have or will be removed does not necessarily translate to more input on the ground."

"They (Dos Santos' government) have promised US $60 million (over six months) for humanitarian efforts, and they may take the Bie governor out, but will the airstrip be fixed? They are showing they are sensitive to what the international aid agencies and community has said."

On a broader level, the death of rebel UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi has yet to have an effect on humanitarian efforts in Angola.

A senior official of an international aid organisation told IRIN: "We have the same levels of IDPs, both in Malanje and Bie, and we still have locations that are inaccessible. There's a lot of uncertainty among all of us humanitarian workers. Our gut feeling is that next few months will determine the future (of Angola). In the short term we anticipate that it will get worse before it gets better."