Demobilisation of UNITA soldiers critical for peace

Angola's peace plan could fail if the government does not have the capacity to meet the needs of UNITA soldiers and their families during the demobilisation process, a UNITA parliamentarian told IRIN on Wednesday.

Jaka Jamba warned that the plans for peace could come to nought if the 50,000 UNITA soldiers and their 300,000 relatives "felt abandoned" during the demobilisation process. These soldiers are to be guided back into civilian life. Meanwhile, some UNITA officers and soldiers are to be integrated into the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).

UNITA General Geraldo Abreu Kamorteiro and his FAA counterpart General Armando da Cruz Neto signed a ceasefire agreement in Luanda on Thursday that effectively ended hostilities in a 27-year civil war that has devastated Angola.

The signing ceremony was attended by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA leader General Lukamba Gato. Representatives of the United States, Portugal and Russia, as well as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Africa Ibrahim Gambari, were also present. It is hoped the ceasefire agreement will lay the groundwork for adherence to the UN-brokered Lusaka Peace Accord of 1994.

The ceasefire agreement makes provision for the demobilisation of UNITA troops in under a year. This, said Jamba, would mean that the Angolan government would have to quickly find the money to provide for food, shelter and other basic needs of UNITA soldiers and their families. Twenty-seven locales have been agreed upon for the quartering of the UNITA combatants and non-combatants during demobilisation.

Jamba said: "I think that maybe the most crucial and decisive element [for successful demobilisation] will be the budget. It is the government that is in charge of the logistics, because with the speed that they want us to implement the agreement, if they don't provide the means - we mean tents and food - the necessary logistics to cover 50,000 military personnel and 300,000 relatives - the people will leave the locales and start to go to villages."

The possibility that many former UNITA soldiers could turn to banditry has been raised as a concern in discussions around demobilisation.

Said Jamba: "That is why the UNITA generals have outlined this concern. It is necessary to pay special attention to it. Should government be unable [to provide] the minimum necessary, what can happen is that the whole plan could fail. If they [the UNITA soldiers] don't have confidence in the [demobilisation] programme.

"If they feel they are abandoned the plan will fail. It is a challenge for the government ... if the UN and other countries were involved it could maximise resources for demobilisation, but their bureaucracy takes a long time and the government [wants] to accelerate the process. However, they do need to have the capacity to respond."

Jamba believes the various UNITA troops would be present in the locales designated for their quartering within 30 days.

"In the national budget there was a very large portion of the cake for defence. The government will have to [decide] to convert this budget for those new needs, or not. It is a matter that we will try also to [raise for] debate in the parliament."