Amnesty calls for halt to forced evictions

Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday called for a moratorium on forced evictions in Angola, claiming that over 5,000 people had been forcibly removed from their homes in three mass evictions between 2001 and 2003. The London-based rights group alleged that evictions in the Boavista, Soba Kapassa and Benfica areas in the capital, Luanda, were "arbitrary and carried out at police gun-point, without adequate prior notice or consultation". The 46-page report, "Mass forced evictions in Luanda - a call for a human rights-based housing policy", examines the evictions in the capital city, and discusses current Angolan law in light of international human rights standards on the right to adequate housing and the right not to be forcibly evicted. AI noted that in first week of evictions in Boavista in July 2001, two people were killed and several injured after police opened fire. Residents reported that during these evictions some of them were beaten by members of the provincial government's eviction and demolition squad. Incidents of beating were also reported in Benfica and Soba Kapassa. At the time it was reported that Boavista area had been earmarked for development by a subsidiary of the state oil company, Sonangol. Evictees from Boavista lived in tents until about half of them were re-housed in mid 2003. However, the consequences of the forced removals were often the loss of employment and disruption of schooling. According to reports, Luanda's population has increased four-fold since independence in 1975 and now stands at 3.2 million. However, the estimate is based on an aerial survey of the province conducted in 2000; there has been no national population census since 1970. Commentators have remarked that the city's infrastructure was not designed to accommodate such large numbers of people, most of whom fled to the city to escape the war in the provinces. Although Amnesty acknowledged the government's efforts to address the needs of millions of urban residents, the group claimed that a new draft law on urban management had apparently "not been based on any clear policy, and contains no guidance on how conflicting objectives may be balanced". "Forced evictions for the purpose of making land available for development, or for any other purpose, is not a solution to the problem," AI said. Carlos Figueiredo from the NGO Development Workshop told IRIN that the push towards development should not be at the expense of Luanda's poor. "There is no disputing that development is important but poor people cannot be sacrificed to reach this goal. Many of the poor spend all they have on their homes, however small and modest it may be. After years of investing in their homes they cannot be told overnight that they should leave," he said. Another concern raised in the AI report was the absence of security of tenure. According to Amnesty, very few people in Luanda have full legal title to their land. "The system for registering land and housing almost collapsed during the war and was unable to cope with the expansion of households in Luanda. The procedures for obtaining official permission to occupy or build on land appear to be complicated and slow, and applicants are vulnerable to exploitation and expropriation by unscrupulous or corrupt officials," AI alleged. Figueiredo suggested that during this transitional phase in Angola authorities should recognise the rights of those who have occupied the land for a number of years. "Because there was no systems in place during the war, many people in the city occupied space because they had no option. After years of living in the same area they feel as if they own their homes. It is important that the government recognise this and move from that point," he told IRIN. Amnesty called on the government to halt mass evictions until a "human rights-based housing policy" was adopted. The group suggested that the moratorium should be published in newspapers, and aired on radio and television stations to promote awareness of the prohibition on forced evictions. Moreover, all relevant authorities should be instructed that any further evictions could only be carried out on the basis of a court order. Local police should also be better trained, and given guidance on how to distinguish an eviction that conformed to the law from one which did not. The rights group also recommended that a commission of inquiry be established to investigate criminal acts during the mass evictions in Boavista, Soba Kapassa and Benfica. Amnesty also called on the government to introduce necessary legislation, or amendments to existing law, in order to ensure access to legal aid for anyone facing eviction. For the full report: www.web.amnesty.org