OCHA Situation Report
Angola
Period: 16-30 June 2003
14 july 2003


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Critical Issues

   In Bengo Municipality, 700 families are surviving off one meal a day of
   manioc leaves and urgently need food assistance

   Local authorities and humanitarian partners are organising stopgap
   distributions of supplies to ease the effects of the essential drug
   shortage.

   Half of the 900 demobilised soldiers and family members from Galangue
   in the Km 9 transit centre are sleeping in the open air, including many
   children.

   As many as 8,000 people are in Menongue airport in Kuando Kubango
   awaiting onward transport.

   Bridges verging on collapse in Lunda Sul are cutting off assistance to
   12,000 beneficiaries.

   Organised repatriation continued to Kuando Kubango and Moxico Provinces
   continued with approximately 1,000 people transported from Democratic
   Republic of Congo (DRC) and Namibia during the reporting period.



Provincial Update

Bengo Province:  Approximately 700 families in Quicabo commune, Dande
Municipality, who lost their last harvest due to drought urgently need
food assistance. They are currently surviving on one meal a day of manioc
leaves. Access to the majority of the 27 aldeias in Quicabo is extremely
difficult due to poor road conditions and some of the population must walk
20 to 25 km round trip to get water. During the last week of June,
humanitarian partners distributed emergency kits and clothing to 577
vulnerable families in the commune, as well as to 950 families in Bula
Atumba, 393 families in Pango Aluquem and 160 families in Ucua.

Humanitarian partners presented the results of an on-going nutritional
survey of 2,900 children between six months and five years old in Quibaxe
Municipality. More than 15 per cent, or 443 children, between six months
and two years of age, suffered from moderate malnutrition. Almost 19 per
cent, or 538 children between three and five years, were moderately
malnourished.

Benguela Province: There are reports that approximately 4,400 returnees in
the commune of Chila, Bocoio Municipality, lack food and non-food items,
such as blankets, soap and kitchen items. A local humanitarian
organisation is providing assistance. The Bocoio - Chila road is currently
being demined and when this work is completed access to the 16,575 people
living in Chila commune will be greatly improved.

Between the end of 2002 and June 2003, more than 13,000 demobilised
soldiers and 72,000 family members were transported from gathering areas
(GAs) in the province to their areas of origin and municipal capitals in
Benguela. The last people left the Chingongo GA in June and all GAs in the
province are now empty.

Demobilised soldiers and their families continue to arrive from other
provinces without previous warning to local authorities. On 28 and 29
June, 100 persons arrived by plane in Catumbela, Lobito Municipality, from
Kuando Kubango. They were taken to the Benguela transit centre until
onward transportation to Bocoio, Balombo and Ganda can be arranged, but
local authorities warned they lack adequate food resources to support the
new arrivals.

Local authorities announced they have the resources to support 40,000 of
200,000 people expected to need assistance during the upcoming
agricultural campaign. Resources include 69,000 hoes, 280 MTs of
fertilizer and 18,000 machetes. Humanitarian partners confirmed they have
seeds and tools for 72,000 people.

During a recent site assessment to Canoquela, 16 km from Balombo sede, was
opened to humanitarian partners. Approximately 1,800 people have returned
to the area which had been difficult to access due to mine infestation and
broken bridges.

Bié Province: The results of a nutritional survey conducted on 12 and 13
April in IDP camps show a decrease in global malnutrition rates.
Humanitarian partners have recommended that the nutritional situation be
monitored through permanent health structures and that nutritional surveys
be conducted on an as-needed basis.

According to a recent report on the implementation of the Back-to-School
programme in Bié, 270,723 children are enrolled in school in the province,
a 192 per cent increase from 2002. Still, approximately 134,600 children,
the majority of them girls, are not attending school. The report
identified the following educational needs to expand educational
opportunities: 402 new schools, consisting of 2,400 classrooms in 39
communes; recruitment and training of 4,800 new teachers; 120,000 new
desks and 2,400 blackboards.

In mid-June, humanitarian partners started a food assistance programme
benefiting 890 families in Chimuco and Salombinja villages in N'harea
Municipality with critical needs. An additional 1,500 families in Gamba
and Caieie communes will be assisted with seeds, tools and food.

Humanitarian partners continue to report movements of people returning to
Kuito from their areas of origin seeking medical assistance. Twenty-three
people were registered during the second half of June.

Huambo Province: Although the critical situation of the drugs and vaccine
stocks has eased somewhat with the delivery of 20,000 doses of measles
vaccine on 21 June, authorities expect the problem in the province to
persist through September. Humanitarian partners and local health
authorities agreed to meet regularly to coordinate delivery of the limited
available supplies to health posts until the shortage is resolved. In
June, partners distributed 28 kits to health posts and centres in Ekunha,
Tchinjenje, Caála, Henge, Londuimbali and Mungo and kits will be
distributed through NGOs to Chiumbo, Nambambi, Catabola, Chilata, Cacoma,
Mundundo, Lunge, Cululu, Lepi and Calenga. Provincial MINSA authorities
have set aside 47 essential drug kits for 35 health posts currently being
rehabilitated that are due to open in September. Approximately 100 kits
will be distributed to 27 health centres and 40 health posts, including
the communes of Mungo and Sambo, which have a large returnee population,
to cover needs through October. Additionally, health partners agreed to
supply the local health ministry with 200 essential drug kits over a
six-month period. However, humanitarian partners warn that even these stop
gap efforts are insufficient for covering the essential drug needs in the
province.

Demining partners have finished the Chinguar - Chinhama. Following a site
assessment to Chinhama, humanitarian partners registered 21,000 vulnerable
people for food, seeds and non-food item distributions.

The population in the Menga gathering area has decreased from 26,000
persons to 20,000. Approximately 8,000 people remain in Sambo GA, down
from 32,000 in May.

Huíla Province: Demining partners are making progress verifying the Matata
- Cherequela - Kutenda road. A demining team is also operating in Gungue
and another has been deployed to Chipindo.

In mid-June, more than 900 demobilised soldiers and their family members
from Galangue in transit to Caluquembe and Caconda were awaiting onward
transport in the Km 9 transit centre in Matala Municipality. The centre
has a capacity for 300 and more than half of the residents, including many
children, were sleeping in the open air. There has been at least one death
from a suspected case of meningitis.

According to a recent verification exercise, a total of 1,560 families
arrived in Lubango from gathering areas throughout the country since April
2002. Humanitarian partners have agreed to assist with food distributions
twice a month.  Provincial authorities reported that 228 MTs of rice, 1.4
tons of vegetable oil and 3,593 reinstallation kits were distributed to
25,000 demobilised soldiers.

According to the Government figures on IDPs, by mid-June, 109,021 people
had returned to the province and 114,741 people remained in camps.

Kuando Kubango Province: Between 6,000 to 8,000 people were congregated in
a temporary transit centre in Menongue airport. Frequent daily arrivals
and departures made it impossible to determine the exact number of people
waiting for onward transit. Humanitarian partners organised a mobile
health clinic and are supplying treated water.

Less than 2,500 people remain in the Mavinga transit centre, which is
expected to close in early July. Approximately 3,000 people who were in
transit from the Capembe and Matungo GAs moved from the centre and are
resettled in and around Mavinga town. Humanitarian partners are concerned
about others who have left the centre on foot and are herding their
livestock towards Menongue without adequate food supplies.

Organised repatriation of Angolan refugees in Namibia and Zambia to the
province began on 2 July. Transit centres have been constructed in Katuiti
and Caiundo and humanitarian partners will provide health and water and
sanitation assistance.

On 17 June, a private truck carrying food assistance was attacked while
stopped due to a mechanical problem 19 km from Menongue on the road to
Kuito Kuanavale. The driver and assistant fled when shots were fired.
Personal items were stolen from the truck but the food assistance was not
touched.

Two mine incidents occurred during the reporting period. A vehicle
triggered an anti-tank mine on the Nankova airstrip, killing the town's
chief of police and critically wounding the administrator and another man.
All routes to Nankova are currently closed to humanitarian personnel. A
car on a side road off the main route between Katuiti and Rundu, Namibia,
detonated an anti-personnel mine 15 to 18 km southeast of Katuiti. The
incident is not expected to affect the repatriation movements.

Demining partners report that between January and April this year, 33,049
people in the province participated in mine awareness training sessions.

Kuanza Norte Province: Humanitarian partners conducted a needs assessments
in Banga and Gonguembo Municipalities in mid-June to determine needs of
the 15,000 returnees in these newly accessible areas. Approximately 3,500
persons who have returned to villages surrounding the Banga Municipal
capital since January need humanitarian assistance. Lack of food, water
and sanitation and immunisation coverage are the main problems. In
Gonguembo, poor road conditions, destroyed public facilities, lack of food
security and water supply are the main problems. Humanitarian partners
will begin food distribution for 4,500 returnees in July.

Kuanza Sul Province: Nearly 100 children are sleeping in the corridors of
the paediatric department of the provincial hospital which only has beds
for 34 children.

NOTE: Please note the following clarification and correction regarding
access to Mussende Municipality as reported in 1 - 15 June Situation
Report. Mussende Muncipality is accessible by way of four routes (via
Libolo, via Quibala, via Andulo, and via Cangandala). The route via Andulo
is the only option without logistical problems due to broken bridges or
road conditions. However, none of these roads are closed according to UN
security guidelines and are open for use by humanitarian partners. The
secondary road connecting Calulo to Mussende, however, which was closed
due to safety concerns during the rainy season, remains closed for
humanitarian operations pending a security assessment.

Lunda Sul Province: More than 12,000 people will not receive assistance
because the bridge over the Tchiumbe River on the Saurimo - Muconda road
cannot safely bear the weight of trucks carrying humanitarian assistance.
Without repairs, the bridge over the Mombo river is also in danger of
collapsing. Broken bridges have isolated populations in Sombo, Saurimo
Municipality, and Cassui Sul and Chiluage, Muconda Municipality, who are
in critical need of food, medicines, seeds and tools and shelter.
Provincial authorities report additional populations with critical needs
in Xassengue and Cucumbi communes in Cacolo Municipality and Cazoa in Dala
Municipality.

Demobilised soldiers and relatives in transit from Lunda Norte to areas of
origin are crowding into the Muangueji transit centre. More than 500
people arrived during the reporting period and another 1,000 were expected
to arrive within days, adding to the existing population of 824 people.
The 397 people remaining in the Camundambala transit centre awaiting
transport to Cacolo have not received assistance since April. Both transit
centers lack an adequate supply of potable water.

Humanitarian partners are distributing more than 35,000 rations of food a
month to returnee populations. The 1,224 people remaining at Chinege GA
also received food assistance.

The majority of the populations remaining in the Samulondo (2,094
persons), Nguali (1,109 persons) and Caluambo (63 persons) IDP camps do
not intend to return to their areas of origin, primarily because of lack
of conditions in return areas. The 2,555 people from Chiluage, Cassai Sul
and Muriege in the Muandongi IDP camp plan to return pending repairs to
bridges on the way to their return areas.

During the reporting period, seeds and tools were distributed to 500
families in Cacolo, Dala and Muconda.

A man collecting firewood lost his leg after stepping on an anti-personnel
mine in Caiaza, Dala Municipality.

Malanje Province: The nutritional situation in accessible locations has
stabilised and humanitarian partners have decided to close the only
supplementary feeding centre in the province due to decreasing attendance.
However, the nutritional situation for populations in the newly accessible
Lusitano commune, Massango Municipality, are precarious. Eight severely
malnourished people, four of them children, were transported to the
hospital in Malanje during the reporting period. Local authorities have
reported some deaths from consumption of the wild roots people have been
living on which require four days of cooking preparation to be consumed
safely. In addition to Massango, critical needs - mainly food, health
assistance and seeds and tools - have also been reported amongst
populations in the newly accessible locations of Kiwaba Nzoje, Cahombo,
Calandula and Mufuma in Kwale Muncipality.

Moxico Province: Mine infestation in and around Liangongo and a series of
mine incidents in May (as reported in the 1 - 15 June Situation Report)
have severely restricted humanitarian assistance for the commune's 5,000
residents. The health post and a number of streets are known to be mined
and humanitarian partners are waiting a reassessment of the town to resume
activities on a limited basis following assessments.

Eight hundred refugees from the Chimbumbula refugee camp in the DRC were
transported to Luau in the second convoy of the repatriation exercise
which began on 20 June. On arrival at the reception centre each family
received a non-food item kit and two months food rations. Children
received identification documents and mine and HIV awareness training.
Many of the returnees are from Luau town and started returning home
immediately. Organised returns to Cazomba are scheduled to begin on 12
July.

Humanitarian partners rehabilitated two health posts in Muxirigningi and
deployed 22 HIV/AIDS activists in Camanongue. Local health authorities
reported that 196,694 children, or 88 per cent, in the province were
vaccinated during the measles campaign. Health workers hope to reach some
areas that were inaccessible due to the rainy season during the polio
vaccination campaign between 25 - 27 July. Provincial health workers also
reported they have essential drug stocks that will cover needs through
September.

Six hundred demobilised and their families in the Luena transit centre
were transported to areas of origin, bringing the population in the centre
back down to 500 people. Adults and children in the Muachimbo IDP camp are
returning to their areas of origin, often three or four days walk, without
adequate food reserves.

OBSERVATION: Please note that the information contained in this report may
have changed since it was received by OCHA Luanda.


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