UN mission alarmed by rights' abuse

A UN inter-agency mission to Angola led by Dennis McNamara, the UN Special Coordinator on Internal Displacement, said it was "alarmed" by the numerous allegations of human rights abuse it heard on its six-day visit. At a press conference in Luanda on Saturday at the end of his mission, McNamara said: "We are not making any judgement about who is responsible but clearly it is fairly widespread." Against the backdrop of Angola's 26-year civil war, the UN team found evidence of the targeting of civilians by "armed actors", forced relocation and conscription, the looting of humanitarian supplies, and sexual violence. "The mission stressed the primary responsibility of the government of Angola to ensure the protection of and assistance to displaced populations and urged it to demonstrate increased transparency in addressing the needs of the displaced," an OCHA press release said. Last year, the UN received approximately 50 percent of the funds it requested in its Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Angola. The mission "expressed concern" over the slow pace of funding for the US $202 million 2001 appeal. "One reason is that donor governments are insisting that the government of Angola must do more," McNamara said. The main objectives of McNamara's mission were to assess the needs of displaced populations, review the capacity of UN agencies and other humanitarian actors to respond to these needs, identify gaps in humanitarian response and make recommendations for future action, said the OCHA statement. As a result of Angola's civil war, 50 percent of Angolans have no access to agricultural land and 10 percent of the population are solely dependant on relief aid. According to the government's estimates, 3.8 million people have been forced from their homes. The mission said it supported temporary resettlement of displaced people from current camps and welcomed the incorporation into national law of UN guidelines on resettlement, which aims to ensure resettlement is voluntary, adequate security is provided, and basic amenities are available. It also expressed its concern for the large numbers of Angolans currently beyond the reach of humanitarian agencies and urged that "all possibilities to gain humanitarian access to displaced and other vulnerable populations, particularly children, be explored." In reference to the issue of accessibility to people in UNITA rebel-held areas, McNamara said: "In principle the UN agencies will provide assistance wherever they have the request of the authorities and where it is safe to go."