Crisis complicated by lack of resources, scorched-earth policy

A lack of funding despite growing humanitarian needs has exacerbated the crisis in Angola, aid agencies have warned. With the end of Angola's decades-long civil war, the full extent of the devastation in previously inaccessible areas has become known, and agencies have been scrambling to meet the new demands on their already scarce resources. World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman Marcelo Spina-Hering told IRIN on Monday that the agency had hoped to pre-position some 51,000 mt of food aid last month ahead of the coming rainy season. "However, we were only able to preposition 4,000 mt and even this had to be used [for daily deliveries] because the number of beneficiaries has increased, which means we don't have any stock pre-positioned. It's serious, it's very serious," he warned. Two recently released Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports "Angola - Sacrifice of a People" and "Angola, After the War Abandonment" argue that the present crisis is a direct result of the scorched-earth policy of both parties in the conflict. They contain testimonies that give a glimpse of the events that occurred in large parts of the country that had been inaccessible since the resumption of conflict in 1998. "These testimonies compiled immediately after the war ended, although not exhaustive, illustrate how from 1998-2002, warring troops from both UNITA and the government of Angola deliberately perpetrated acts of extreme violence against civilians: forced displacements, rape, forced conscription, summary executions, and physical assaults. "As a matter of policy, both warring parties unhesitatingly used these forms of violence and terror to dominate civilian populations, depriving them of food and basic resources needed to survive. Abused for years as instruments of war, these civilians were simply abandoned after the war," MSF said in a statement. MSF hit out at the international community and the government for not doing enough for those in need since the ceasefire in April. "Aid has not been sufficient for the tens of thousands of civilians who were forcibly displaced during the last phase of the war, or for former UNITA soldiers and their families who have assembled in special quartering areas," MSF said. Over 400,000 former rebel soldiers and their families are housed in 42 quartering areas spread across Angola. They, together with the thousands more in previously inaccessible areas, depend on humanitarian assistance to survive. WFP warned on 1 October that the number of Angolans in urgent need of food aid until December had increased to 1.8 million, compared to the 1.5 million the agency's original plans were based on. "The increase is putting additional pressure on the already limited resources available to assist those in need. "WFP has only received 26 percent of the US $233 million needed to keep operations running in Angola until the end of 2003. The poor funding situation will reach a critical point in January when the agency will run out of cereals," WFP said in a statement. Further complicating relief efforts was extremely poor transport infrastructure which severely hampered access, even in areas where landmines were not a threat. "Broken bridges and extremely poor roads are preventing WFP from reaching populations in need. Many airstrips and roads which could be used for humanitarian deliveries are not cleared of land mines," the agency said. Meanwhile, the ruling MPLA has slammed the MSF reports. State-run news agency ANGOP reported that MPLA Information Secretary Noberto dos Santos "Kwata Kanawa" said the reports were "meddling in internal issues of the Angolan state" and that the government had already elaborated a plan to assist former rebels, their relatives and the displaced.