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Country poverty analysis



OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA)


HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN ANGOLA

Situation Report
Reporting Period: 1 - 15 March 2002

Contact: OCHA Angola, Av. Comandante ValСѓdia 206 - 5 Andar Luanda Angola, Tel. (244 2) 444 321, Fax. (244 2) 442 710
 
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  • During the first two weeks of March, more than 19,000 Angolans were displaced as a result of insecurity and limited access to humanitarian assistance. The most significant displacements occurred in Moxico, Malanje, HuРЅla and BiР№ Provinces. In addition, 450 families were displaced by floods in Dombe Grande Municipality, Benguela Province.
  • Increased Government contributions are required to assist 15,000 new internally displaced persons (IDPs) in inaccessible Quibaxe, Bengo Province.
  • A new IDP camp is urgently required to relieve overcrowding at the Afeina II camp and accommodate new arrivals in Camacupa, BiР№ Province.
  • Immediate support for the Integrated Plan of Action for Huambo Province is required to meet growing needs in Huambo and CaР±la as well as to stabilise populations in areas that remain inaccessible to humanitarian partners.
  • In HuРЅla Province, non-food item stocks and water and sanitation interventions are required to assist new arrivals in Matala. In addition, increased Government contributions are required to stabilise populations in inaccessible Bunjei.
  • Essential survival items, including blankets, cooking kits and plastic sheeting, are urgently required to assist more than 11,000 IDPs who are currently living in sub-standard transit centres in Wako Kungo, Kuanza Sul Province.
  • A new reception and registration centre is urgently required to ensure timely provision of assistance to new arrivals in Saurimo, Lunda Sul Province.
  • Increased Government contributions are required to stabilise vulnerable resident and displaced populations in Calandula, Malanje Province.
  • In Moxico Province, conditions at the Muachimbo and Muacanhica IDP camps and the central hospital require upgrading. In addition, the newly established Sinai Velho reception and registration centre requires urgent rehabilitation to ensure timely provision of assistance for new arrivals.
Main Developments

  • Approximately 15,000 new IDPs arrive in inaccessible Quibaxe, Bengo Province
  • Floods displace 450 families in Dombe Grande Municipality, Benguela Province
  • More than 1,000 IDPs arrive in Kuito, Camacupa and Cunhinga, BiР№ Province
  • Partners develop an Integrated Plan of Action to meet emergency needs in Huambo Province
  • Reports indicate that 30 persons die each day in inaccessible Bunjei, HuРЅla Province
  • New resettlement sites are required in Menongue, Kuando Kubango Province
  • More than 480 new IDPs arrive in Samba Caju, Kuanza Norte Province
  • Local authorities and partners develop a Provincial Protection Plan, Kuanza Sul Province
  • Reports indicate that 7,000 new IDPs may enter Saurimo in the coming month, Lunda Sul Province
  • More than 1,900 IDPs are registered in Cacuso Municipality, Malanje Province
  • More than 4,000 new IDPs arrive in Luena, Moxico Province
Provincial Update

Bengo Province: Approximately 10,400 new IDPs reportedly arrived in Quibaxe from villages in the north of the province during the first week of March, bringing the total number of new IDPs in the area to more than 15,000. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Reintegration (MINARS), the condition of new arrivals is serious, with high levels of malnutrition among children and adults. On 4 March, MINARS provided seven metric tons (MTs) of essential food and non-food items to at-risk populations in Quibaxe.

An estimated 300 IDPs returned to points of origin in Nambuangongo Municipality from Boa EsperanР·a camp in Caxito. The returnees, most of whom are women, traveled by commercial truck.

Benguela Province: Approximately 450 families have been displaced as a result of flooding in Dombe Grande Municipality. In addition, an unconfirmed number of families have lost crops due to heavy rains. MINARS and humanitarian partners have developed contingency plans to assist flood-affected populations. Humanitarian access to the most affected areas, including Luacho and Senje, is severely restricted as a result of flooding.

Partners are concerned over the condition of thousands of new IDPs in Bocoio, Culango and Canjala, where access to shelter, potable water, basic sanitation and health care remain limited.

Biй Province: During the first week of March, more than 800 IDPs entered Kuito from Catabola, Chissindo and N’harea. In addition, approximately 130 IDPs arrived in Camacupa and 115 in Cunhinga. The Afeina II camp in Camacupa has reached full capacity. More than 18,000 IDPs have moved to the site since it was opened in mid February. Partners recommend that a new site is urgently identified to accommodate new arrivals.

Huambo Province: During the second week of March, more than 140 new IDPs were brought by the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) from Bimbe in Bailundo Municipality and Bunjei in HuРЅla Province to CaР±la and the Messe dos Oficiais transit centre in Huambo. Many newly arrived children from Bunjei are severely malnourished and have been referred to therapeutic feeding centres which are reaching full capacity. Humanitarian partners are taking steps to expand nutritional feeding programmes in CaР±la to meet growing needs.

More than 3,000 IDPs in Ukuma, 500 displaced families in Calima and 560 families in Lomanda village remain unregistered and without assistance. Partners recommend that urgent funding is provided to support integrated resettlement programmes for populations in these locations.

During the first week of March, local authorities, UN Agencies and NGOs developed an Integrated Plan of Action for Huambo Province to address emergency needs in Huambo and areas that remain inaccessible to humanitarian partners. Priority actions include closure of the Messe dos Oficiais transit centre, opening of a new reception and registration centre in Huambo, relocation of IDPs at the Betania resettlement site to the Lomanda resettlement site and increased Government assistance to stabilise populations in Bunjei, Chilembo and the Municipalities of Bailundo, Lunduimbali, Tchicala-Tcholoanga and Tchindjenje.

HuРЅla Province: During the first two weeks of March, more than 1,250 IDPs from Chipindo arrived at the Canjanguity camp in Matala. A large number of newly arrived children are malnourished. Emergency kits are urgently required for the IDPs, many of whom lack essential non-food items, including clothing and blankets. In addition, water and sanitation interventions are required to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

Reports indicate that the humanitarian situation in inaccessible Bunjei is catastrophic, with as many as 30 people dying each day as a result of hunger and disease. Humanitarian partners recommend that severely malnourished children are transported from Bunjei to accessible areas where assistance is available and that MINARS distributes nutritional mixes for severely malnourished children in Bunjei as a matter of priority.

Kuando Kubango Province: More than 230 IDPs were registered in Menongue and 260 in Kuito Kuanavale during the first half of March. The Chipompo and Savipanda resettlement sites in Menongue are reaching full capacity and new sites must be urgently identified to accommodate new arrivals. Following an assessment of proposed resettlement sites at Macuo and Vicumbua, the provincial sub-group on IDPs reported that minimum conditions are not in place at either location.

Partners have reported that an average of five to seven children at the Menongue reception centre are referred to the therapeutic feeding centre each week.

Reports indicate that the humanitarian situation in Mavinga and Savate is critical. More than 1,500 IDPs have arrived in Mavinga since the last week of February, bringing the total number of displaced persons in the area to approximately 9,000. Many of the new arrivals are reportedly malnourished. According to the Technical Unit for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UTCAH), more than 7,000 new IDPs are concentrated in Savate. Humanitarian organisations do not have access to Mavinga and Savate for security reasons.

Kuanza Norte Province: More than 480 new displaced persons arrived in Samba Caju during the first ten days of March. The IDPs require essential food and non-food assistance.

Kuanza Sul Province: Reports indicate that approximately 1,500 new IDPs from Sanga are concentrated in Ximbungo and are waiting to be transported by FAA to Wako Kungo, where humanitarian operations are underway. According to MINARS, more than 14,500 IDPs are living in Wako Kungo. Of this number, 3,500 IDPs are integrated within the resident community. The remaining 11,000 are crowded into four sub-standard transit centres. The number of IDPs in Wako Kungo has doubled since January and the capacity of humanitarian organisations to respond to growing needs is increasingly limited.

As part of ongoing efforts to address protection issues at the provincial level, a joint training team composed of representatives from Government institutions and UN Agencies conducted a provincial protection workshop in Sumbe from 5 to 7 March. More than 25 workshop participants, including representatives of Government institutions, civilian and military provincial attorneys, national and international NGOs, religious organisations and UN Agencies, worked together to draft a provincial protection plan. The plan has been submitted to the Provincial Governor for analysis, feedback and endorsement.

Lunda Sul Province: During the first two weeks of March, 167 IDPs from Cuilo, XР±-Cassau, Lubalo and Capenda Camulemba and five returnees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arrived in Saurimo. According to FAA, as many as 7,000 new IDPs may enter Saurimo during the next month. The provincial sub-group on resettlement and shelter is taking steps to establish a new reception and registration centre to ensure timely and effective assistance for new arrivals. At present, approximately 2,900 IDPs at the Candembe site in Saurimo do not have access to adequate shelter and essential non-food items.

Partners have expressed concern over the condition of thousands of displaced populations in the inaccessible areas of Alto Chicapa, Xassengue, Cucumbi and Cacolo, where critical shortages of food, essential non-food items and medicines have been reported.

Malanje Province: More than 1,900 new IDPs were registered in Cacuso Municipality and 20 at the MINARS courtyard in Malanje town during the first two weeks of March. The majority of new arrivals fled instability and food insecurity in Calandula and Mussende. Many of the IDPs in Cacuso arrived in February but were not registered until March as a result of insecurity. The new arrivals require urgent food and non-food assistance. Humanitarian partners remain concerned over limited stocks of essential non-food items to assist the IDPs.

According to local sources, the humanitarian situation in Calandula Municipality is rapidly deteriorating. New IDPs, many of whom are in critical condition, continue to enter Calandula from neighbouring villages in search of assistance. Residents and approximately 2,000 new IDPs urgently require food, basic survival items and emergency health care. In addition, 3,000 IDPs at the Sango resettlement site in Calandula Municipality have access to only one hand pump. Malnutrition and morbidity levels remain high among both resident and displaced populations in locations throughout the municipality.

Moxico Province: More than 4,000 IDPs and 90 returnees arrived in Luena during the first two weeks of March. Approximately 80 percent of the new arrivals were transported to Luena from the interior of Moxico Province by FAA helicopter. Many of the recently arrived IDPs, and children and elderly in particular, are in serious condition.

IDPs continue to live in sub-standard conditions at the MINARS registration centre and overcrowded camps. Humanitarian partners are urging provincial authorities to complete rehabilitation of the newly established reception and registration centre at the Sinai Velho site as a matter of priority. In addition, partners recommend that conditions at the Muachimbo and Muacanhica IDP camps and the central hospital are urgently upgraded and capacity at nutritional feeding centres increased.

Security

BiР№ Province: On 4 March, insecurity was reported in Ndala Cagumbe and Ndolo Ndolo, Camacupa Municipality.

Cunene Province: On 4 March, armed groups entered Chiede in Namacunde Municipality, stealing cattle, looting houses and abducting two persons.

Huambo Province: On 15 March, insecurity was reported in Mundundo, Ukuma Municipality.

Kuanza Sul Province: On 9 March, insecurity was reported in Mungo.

Malanje Province: On 4 March, one civilian man was injured as a result of troop and police indiscipline at a market in Cangandala.

UРЅge Province: On 9 March, indiscriminate gunfire was reported in close proximity to a NGO residence in Maquela do Zombo.

Contact:
OCHA Angola, Av. Comandante ValСѓdia 206 - 5 Andar Luanda Angola,
Tel. (244 2) 444 321, Fax. (244 2) 442 710