UNITA calls for more aid to avert crisis

Angola's former rebel group UNITA on Friday called on the international community to step up efforts to avert a "human tragedy" in quartering camps holding its soldiers. Information secretary, Marcial Dachala, said that close to 500 people had already died of hunger in the camps and if "nothing was done soon, the number would increase". Dachala told IRIN: "The government and civil society have shown that they have done everything possible to assist in this difficult process but the international community has been slow in their response to the crisis. We are not saying that the international community has not helped, but it has not been enough." "We're seeing enormous challenges" in the camps that opened on 5 April, one day after the ceasefire was signed between UNITA and the army, Dachala said. Without aid, he said, a real danger existed that former rebels would return to the bush to try to eke out a living, possibly through banditry. "Food and medical assistance are urgently needed. A soldier is like any other human being, he needs to eat and clothe himself. If food is not available or is insufficient, he will, like any other person, seek it somewhere else. It would be disastrous if former rebels decide to desert the camps because they feel as if their existence is not important," he said. About 84,000 former rebels and 250,000 family members have entered 35 camps since the ceasefire between the government and rebel forces. As part of the demobilisation process, around 5,000 former rebels are to be integrated into the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). The remaining 79,000 are to receive professional training to enable them to join civilian life. In addition to the unfolding humanitarian crisis, the demilitarisation of the former UNITA rebels is an additional hurdle in the peace process. On Friday, Angola's Joint Military Commission asked for a 10-day extension on the integration of the selected UNITA fighters into the FAA. The integration process was expected to end this weekend but Dachala said the extension was needed for "practical and operational reasons". "We have tried very hard to ensure that we meet deadlines but our lines of communication have been hampered by the vastness of the country. Also, we want to ensure that the operation is a success and instead of rushing through it, it is important that we undertake our responsibilities with the necessary seriousness," he said. Demobilisation, vocational training and reintegration was originally expected to last until the end of this year. After that, the government and UNITA are expected to turn their attention to outstanding political issues remaining under the 1994 powersharing Lusaka Protocol.