New fears raised by UN Secretary-General

United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has warned in a new report to the UN Security Council this week that he feared the ongoing conflict in Angola could spread across the borders of Zambia and Namibia and threaten peace and security of southern Africa region. "I am concerned that the situation appears to be entering a new phase of political and military impasse. If the present trend continues, the situation in Angola could worsen the security and humanitarian problems especially in the border regions of the neighbouring countries, Namibia and Zambia, and threaten further the peace and security of the subregion as a whole," Annan said. "The spillover of the conflict areas across the borders to Zambia and Namibia has complicated relations between Angola and Zambia and has had negatively affected the socio-economic and humanitarian situation in both Zambia and Namibia." He added that a recent visit to Angola by the Commander of the Zambian Armed Forces at the invitation of the Chief of General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) seemed to have helped to dissipate some of the misunderstandings between the two countries. "Moreover, the Under-Secretary-General and Adviser for Special Assignments in Africa, Ibrahim Gambari went on mission to Namibia and Zambia in August to consult with senior officials and the United Nations offices there with a view to ascertaining the extent of the security, socio-economic and humanitarian problems arising from the Angolan war on the two neighbouring countries and make appropriate recommendations for responding to them." Annan recommended to the Security Council that the mandate of the UN office in Angola be extended for another six months until 15 April 2001. Annan said that despite the absence of a "real breakthrough" and the "frustrations over the slow progress towards a peaceful resolution of the situation in Angola, the United Nations office in Angola continues to play an essential role in providing assistance to the government in the area of human rights capacity-building, as well as in helping to mobilise humanitarian support from the international community". He added that UNITA rebel movement bore primary responsibility for the resumption of war by its failure to comply with its commitments under the Lusaka Protocol, particularly its refusal to demilitarise and to permit the extension of state administration throughout the country. Military situation Commenting on the military situation, Annan said that UNITA was reported to be carrying out ambushes and attacks on civilian convoys in desperate attempts to get food, medicine and fuel supplies. "UNITA guerrilla forces are reported to have continued to make sporadic attacks on some diamond-mining localities in the northeastern region of the country. They have also reportedly opened a corridor in the region to move supplies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)," he added. The Secretary-General said that large contingents of the FAA had reportedly been deployed to cities such as Benguela in the west, Huambo in the central highlands, Malanje in the north and Soyo near the DRC border to "secure important strategic installations and objectives". He added that the FAA have also continued in their operations to "pursue the rebels from the central highlands through Moxico Province in the eastern region to the border with Zambia". Annan added that even though the presence of UNITA had not been reported in the northern Cabinda Province, the Angolan government had deployed an estimated 6,000 soldiers and police to the enclave "to face the separatist threat" posed by the FLEC separatist movement. Humanitarian situation Annan said that the humanitarian situation "remained serious" and that conflict related displacements in 13 provinces had continued. "The total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported in the country since January 1998 increased to more than 2.7 million by the end of August," he said. The largest movements of IDPs had been in Benguela, Bie, Lunda Sul, Huambo and Uige. In Kuito in the central highlands, humanitarian agencies confirmed the presence of approximately 7,000 new IDPs during August. Approximately 2,500 new IDPs have been reported Luena in the east and 7,000 in Saurimo in the northeast during the past two months, the report said. "Most IDPs continue to survive through a combination of kinship exchange, petty-commodity production, selling of charcoal and firewood, food preparation and brewing," Annan said. He added that UN agencies had made "significant efforts" to assess humanitarian conditions in areas where government control had been restored. Annan warned though that the provision of humanitarian assistance in some areas continued to be hampered by insecurity and limited logistics. "Owing to the lack of security guarantees and threats from armed groups, populations living in unsafe areas remain out of reach for humanitarian agencies, particularly populations living in eastern and southern border." Road access remained restricted, Annan said, with only coastal roads and routes within the security perimeters of major provincial cities useable. Road links between provincial capitals remained insecure in the central and eastern parts of the country, with more than 70 percent of all humanitarian aid being transported by air. "The airstrip at Kuito, where more than 120,000 people depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, remains in extremely poor condition and is likely to become unusable in the upcoming rainy season," Annan added. The Secretary-General said that under the coordination of Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) humanitarian agencies planned to provide an estimated 394,000 families with agricultural inputs, including 178,000 mt of seeds and 860,000 tool kits during September and October. Annan said that despite earlier problems with the World Food Programme (WFP) pipeline, all WFP food requirements were now covered until the end of November. Human rights Annan said that freedom of expression continued to be a controversial and complex issue. There has been "heated debate" following the submission of a new draft law for public comment by President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos. "The draft law continues to protect the president from criticism that would be considered defamatory and enlarges the state's administrative and penal control over journalists and the media," he added. He said human rights violations related directly to the conflict have created one of the largest forced relocations. "About 2.7 million persons at the end July, with millions of others affected by the war," he said. The Secretary-General said that this was in part caused by landmines and the "indiscriminate and disproportionate" use of force. He said that UNITA attacks on civilians had been "systematic" with the most notable being the alleged UNITA attack on an orphanage in Huambo province. Annan said that alleged violations by the FAA and the national police "often related to individual actions outside the existing law and disciplinary rules. "The threat and use of violence often accompany actions committed by state actors in violation of the law. Angola's justice institutions do not have the capacity or the territorial coverage to investigate and properly respond to violations," Annan said. The Socio-economic situation Annan said the economy has continued to face serious macroeconomic instability, with a 125.69 percent accumulated inflation rate at the end of June and price variations of 7.72 percent "implying significant erosion of the purchasing power of Angolans and greater poverty". Annan added that poverty had become "endemic" with an estimated 78 percent of the rural population, and 40 percent of urban dwellers, living below the poverty line. "The grave macroeconomic environment prompted the government to reach an agreement with the World Bank and IMF (International Monetary Fund) on a staff-monitored programme until the end of the year, to be followed by a full structural adjustment programme," he said. The Secretary-General's report can be found at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2000/977e.pdf