1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Angola

EC aid for Angola

[Angola] Camacupa in Angola IRIN
Many returning refugees need help in resettling in Angola
Angola is set to benefit from a €8 million (US $9.8 million) European Commission (EC) aid package aimed at assisting the return and resettlement of people uprooted by the civil war. The EC aid package will be administered by the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), under Commissioner Poul Nielsen. "The signing of a peace deal in Angola in 2002 prompted us to transform our programme from emergency aid to facilitating return and rehabilitation. By supporting a proper transition from humanitarian to longer-term assistance, we not only ensure a more efficient use of resources, but we also contribute to the strengthening of a recovery process that remains fragile," Nielsen said in a statement. After 27 years of civil conflict, the April 2002 ceasefire in Angola "shaped the development for lasting peace," the EC said. "However, the situation on the ground remains unchanged. More than 3.8 million war-affected people have resettled or returned to their area of origin since the ceasefire. Up to 70 percent of these people have returned without any form of assistance from their local authorities or humanitarian organisations, to areas not considered suitable for resettlement," the EC noted. Access to these people was being "hampered by land mines (there are an estimated six to seven million unexploded mines in Angola), broken bridges and poor road conditions". "Reduced access to food in former conflict areas has created widespread food insecurity and acute malnutrition in places ... during 2003 the majority of returnees remained dependent on assistance [and] 2.7 million Angolans remain without secure food supplies, despite the successful 2003 harvest. Children are particularly affected by the conflict and will be the major beneficiaries of ECHO-financed interventions," the EC said. ECHO's efforts will focus on establishing minimum resettlement conditions in the returnee areas and provide the basis for more durable solutions. "Activities will include provision of nutritional support, preventive and curative primary health care, emergency water and sanitation activities, provision of agricultural inputs, including seeds and livestock for breeding, de-mining activities to secure access, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, protection of returnees, including tracing and reunification, emergency education and logistical support to repatriating refugees and returnees," the EC explained. One million people are expected to benefit over the next 15 months, the commission noted.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join