Angola a tangled web: many players in a complex war July 2000 A report by World Vision UK, produced on behalf of the World Vision partnership. contents page Abbreviations 7 Executive summary 9 Introduction Anne Mesopir 17 1 Angola in perspective Ben Campbell & Siobhan O’Reilly-Calthrop 19 1 Colonial Angola 19 2 The first war – the war for independence (1957–75) 19 3 The second war – the ‘War of the Bush’ (1975–91) 20 4 The third war – the ‘War of the Cities’ (1992–94) 20 5 ‘Peace’ under the Lusaka Protocol 20 6 The fourth war – 1998 to present 22 7 Conclusion 23 2 …meanwhile the children suffer Randini Wanduragala 25 1 Introduction 25 2 Focusing on children 25 2.1 Landmines 26 2.2 Violence and forced recruitment 26 2.3 Psycho-social stress 27 2.4 Health 27 2.5 Food 28 2.6 Education 28 3 Angola’s children and human rights 28 4 Conclusions 29 3 The economics of conflict Kelly Currah 31 1 Growth with inequity 31 2 The stake of the international community 32 3 Corporate social responsibility? 34 3.1 Disclosure 34 3.2 Crude credit (or creditors with interest) 35 3.3 Illegal trading 35 3.4 Social investment 35 4 Economic measures for peace 36 4.1 Sanctions 36 4.2 Certification 36 4.3 IMF 37 4.4 OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises 37 5 Conclusion 37 4 The quest for peace Siobhan O’Reilly-Calthrop 41 1 The United Nations 41 1.1 Historical role 41 1.2 Problems and obstacles 41 1.3 Recent improvements 42 1.4 Future role? 43 3 page 2 Role of African regional bodies 43 3 Angolan civil society 44 3.1 Growing years 44 3.2 The Church – an emerging actor 45 4 Conclusion 47 5 Recommendations 51 1 Humanitarian need 51 2 Children 51 3 Corporate actors 52 4 Peace process 52 4.1 United Nations – a new approach for a critical player 53 4.2 Sanctions – the need for a multi-pronged approach 53 4.3 Regional actors – a gap needing to be filled 53 4.4 Civil society – urgent support needed for the most promising actor 54 Bibliography 55 4 contributors Ben Campbell Programme Officer for Southern Africa, World Vision US Kelly Currah Macro Issues Officer, World Vision UK Anne Mesopir National Director, World Vision Angola Siobhan O’Reilly-Calthrop Conflict and Reconciliation Officer, Policy and Research Department, World Vision UK Randini Wanduragala Child Rights Officer, Policy and Research Department, World Vision UK 5 6 abbreviations ADRA Action for Rural Development and the Environment AEA Evangelical Association in Angola CICA Christian Council of Angola CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child FAA Angolan Armed Forces FDI Foreign Direct Investment FONGA Forum of Angolan Non-Governmental Organisations FNLA National Front for the Liberation of Angola GAP Angolan Group for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace GDP Gross Domestic Product GEIPA Inter-Church Group for Peace in Angola GARP Angolan Reflection Group for Peace IDP Internally Displaced Person IMF International Monetary Fund LDC Least Developed Countries MONUA United Nations Angola Observation Mission MPLA Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OAU Organisation for African Unity OCHA Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance (United Nations) OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development SADC Southern Africa Development Community TNC Transnational Corporation UCAH Humanitarian Assistance Co-ordination Unit UNAVEM III United Nations Angola Verification Mission UNOA United Nations Office in Angola UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade, Aid and Development UNITA National Union for the Total Independence of Angola UNSC United Nations Security Council WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organisations 7 8 executive summary ar has ravaged Angola and its people for over 40 years. As a result, humanitarian W need within Angola has reached staggering proportions, whilst two whole generations of Angolans have never known what it is to live in peace. Social development indicators identify Angola as one of the world’s poorest countries (see box 1). One third of the population is displaced or destitute due to war. Thirty per humanitarian cent of Angola’s children die before they reach their fifth birthday. Tens of thousands of children have been forced to fight in armies and commit atrocities. Many more have been need within denied basic rights to food, education and health. Angola has Since 1989, World Vision Angola has responded by seeking to address the immediate and medium term needs of war-affected populations in northern Angola through multi- reached sectoral, developmental relief and rehabilitation programs. Yet this in itself can only have limited impact whilst the war rages on. This report was birthed out of a desire to see the staggering root causes of this humanitarian crisis addressed. It is based on World Vision’s experience proportions and knowledge gained from working in Angola over the last 10–15 years. By identifying the ‘tangled web’ of actors involved in the crisis, both directly and indirectly, we hope to highlight the action that needs to be taken by governments, civil society and the business community world-wide to see an end to this war and the suffering it is causing. the ongoing war The conflict in Angola cannot be neatly defined as one single war but rather a series of four distinguishable cycles of fighting which began in 1957 with the war for independence and has since been punctuated by periods of negotiations and fragile peace. After several years of re-arming and poor implementation of the 1994 Lusaka Peace Accords by both warring parties, the latest period of ‘peace’ ended in December 1998 when fighting broke out between the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and UNITA. This war continues today. The 1990s has been the most violent decade and the worst in terms of humanitarian suffering. The fighting this decade has targeted civilian populations through town sieges, laying of landmines, harassment of local communities, and the obstruction of aid deliveries. As a result, Angolans experience daily trauma, dispossession, powerlessness, vulnerability and abject poverty. The latest period of fighting has further deteriorated the situation. By April 2000, a total of 2.5 million people were estimated to be internally displaced (IDPs). In November last year, the UN estimated 3.7 million to be ‘war affected’, defined as ‘those who depend on emergency humanitarian assistance due to war and the resultant loss of assets and earning opportunities’. As a result, more people than in the past 4 decades of war are suffering homelessness and destitution, hunger and disease. Yet the war shows no sign of abating in the near future. Landmines continue to be laid and atrocities committed. Delivery of humanitarian assistance has been difficult and highly dangerous due to insecurity and access being denied to many UNITA and government-controlled areas. This situation is ongoing and humanitarian agencies continue to face Box 1 many obstacles: a lack of safe, regular access to field Per capita income US$674 operations, a lack of Life expectancy at birth 46.5 years (1997) consistent funding for Under-five mortality rate 292 out of 1,000 live births longer-term rehabilitation Population without access to safe water 69% and development work, Population without access to health services 76% difficulties in obtaining visas and getting non-food items Enrolment rate – primary 31.9% (of relevant age group) cleared at customs. Statistics taken from 1999 UNDP Human Development Report 9 meanwhile the children suffer Despite the shocking statement by UNICEF that Angola is the worst place for a child to grow up, the international community appears to be paralysed in its attempts to find a suitable response which will alleviate the suffering of Angola’s children. Almost half of Angola’s population are children. Sixty five per cent of the 2.5 million displaced are children. Yet their needs have been given little priority in the last three decades of political manoeuvring and they have been ignored by policymakers seeking solutions. Direct impacts on children include violence, abuse, forced recruitment and psycho-social trauma, whilst the indirect impacts have contributed to problems of health, education and malnutrition. Although Angola is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the government has not yet filed any reports to detail precisely how Angola’s children are faring or what they are doing to safeguard and protect the rights of children during this time of conflict. the economics of conflict Angola’s economy is booming. Inward investment in the oil industry and exports of oil and diamonds make it one of the fastest growing African economies. Despite having some of the largest oil reserves and diamond resources in Africa, the Angolan people are worse off today than they were before the large off-shore oil fields were discovered in 1995. The disparity between the enormous profits made from mineral resources in Angola by foreign corporations and the social and economic state of the country is a damning indictment of the role of foreign actors working in the country. It also reveals the international community’s inability to take responsibility for the problems of a country from which it is profiting economically. The improvement of society via inward investment corporate has not occurred, or led to equality of growth, social development or investment in the social infrastructure of the country. responsibility Corruption, lack of transparency and the purchase of military equipment by both sides of the conflict undermine the ability of the people of Angola to build their own stable is failing communities.