Annan calls for withdrawal of peacekeepers

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended pulling out the UN Observer Mission (MONUA) from Angola, saying it is apparent the country has returned to “full-fledged hostilities” and that the UN is now operating in a “negative atmosphere”. In a report to the Security Council circulated on Monday, a copy of which was received by IRIN, Annan said that given the “steadily worsening security situation” due to fighting between the government and opposition UNITA movement, the possibilities of a UN peacekeeping force had been exhausted for the time being. “Following a logic of war, the parties have publicly committed themselves to ‘neutralise’ their opponents politically and militarily and appear ready to enter into a deadly race of confrontation,” he said. In addition, UN personnel were being harassed and some local officials had refused to cooperate with UN staff. “The presumed shooting down of the two United Nations aircraft was a particularly outrageous crime intended to intimidate the United Nations and force it to curtail its operations,” Annan said. The two planes were shot down on 26 December and 2 January, and the charred wreckage of the first was found by a UN search team some 30 km east of Huambo. Fighting in the area prevented a deeper investigation. UNITA says it has located the second plane, but has so far failed to take UN investigators to the site. “Violent confrontations have accelerated through several regions of the country with dire consequences for the people of Angola,” Annan said. He noted that the humanitarian community’s ability to operate in Angola had been very seriously affected by the constraints on access and the relocation of MONUA to Luanda with the resulting loss of UN military escorts for humanitarian convoys. The Secretary-General estimated that MONUA would be completely withdrawn from Angola in four to six months. But, he added, it would be “unthinkable” for the UN to abandon a country in crisis and he stressed the UN was “ready and willing” to continue humanitarian assistance to the Angolan people. He warned the situation “has the potential to devlop into a full scale humanitarian catastrophe”. Calling on both the Angolan government and UNITA to guarantee security and access to humanitarian workers, Annan urged the two sides “in particular UNITA” to cease hostilities and resume implementation of the Lusaka peace protocol.