Basic needs must be met - Oxfam

Oxfam International has urged rebel movement UNITA and the Angolan government to accept responsibility for providing for people in areas they control - and to allow them access to humanitarian aid. In a presentation to the UN Security Council this week, the aid agency said "there must be a concerted effort on the part of the government to increase access and resources for humanitarian work". "The (Security) Council and the donor community should be consistent in impressing upon the government that it must do more to uphold its obligations to assist and protect civilians ... afflicted by the consequences of war. This requires action to stop the forcible displacement of civilians, and more to assist those in its care. "We also urge the (Security) Council to ensure that dialogue with UNITA includes discussion of their obligations to ensure that civilians receive humanitarian assistance protection, in accordance with international humanitarian law," the agency's presentation said. Oxfam's Country Representative in Angola, Fred Kumah, addressed the Council on the harsh conditions faced by millions of Angolans who do not have access to the most basic humanitarian assistance and protection. Kumah is reported to have said: "The death of (UNITA leader) Jonas Savimbi brings new opportunities for peace in Angola, and could herald a new era. But everything is up in the air. What is urgently needed now is for the government to immediately help the millions of people stranded by war, and to declare a genuine ceasefire which will hopefully lead to the end of this brutal conflict." Oxfam's Nicola Reindorp told IRIN: "Part of the message is that government must do more to use revenue (from the exploitation of natural resources such as diamonds and oil) to the benefit of its people." She also underlined UNITA's responsibility for the well-being of civillians in areas it controls. The response of the Angolan government to the humanitarian disaster that afflicts the country has often been questioned. Although the government recently committed US $60 million to humanitarian assistance, it is estimated that Angola earns between US $3-5 billion from natural resources. "But the lack of transparency on precisely what funds go where make it difficult for Angolan civil society to monitor what their government is doing," Oxfam said in its report. It is estimated that one million lives have been lost since the beginning of the conflict, and nearly one-third of the population, about four million, have been displaced. About 500,000 people have been displaced this year alone. In Bie province, where Oxfam is working, an average of 7,000 people have fled their homes every month since July 2001. Access to displaced and stranded populations is also a critical issue. Relief agencies can only reach a tiny percentage of the country.