allAfrica.com: Angola: Minister Denies 'Slow Response' to Humanitarian Crisis in Unita Areas (Page 1 of 3)

The killing, early this year, of Angola's long time rebel leader, Jonas Savimbi of Unita, opened the way for a ceasefire between the MPLA government's army and the rebels. Since then, Unita soldiers and their families have been gathering in 'quartering' areas as starving civilians formerly behind Unita lines are coming out of the bush in search of food and health care. Both groups are in desperate need. But harsh words have been exchanged this week between humanitarian agencies working in Angola. Medecins Sans Frontieres has accused both the government and other NGOs of reacting too slowly to the crisis, echoing earlier criticism, particularly of the government, for failing to facilitate the flow of aid. Last week in Durban, South Africa, Akwe Amosu spoke to Angola's Vice Minister of External Relations, Jorge Chikoti about the government's stance.

Why is there a perception abroad that you have been slow to seek support for the people coming into the quartering areas? I interviewed the UN secretary-general's special representative on children and armed conflict, Olara Otunnu, in mid-May and he said, "Everyone's waiting for a clear invitation from the Angolan government to indicate the kind of assistance that's needed. And I hope that will come very soon, it's very important that it should come soon." Why the delay?

Do you think that when you are ready you need a request? We've been working with the United Nations and the international community for a long time. People know what Angola needs. We have written to everybody so, even now, that issue is clear. We feel that their support is slow. I think that I have a personal understanding of the situation, which I will not say. I would rather stick to the general reasons.

But formally speaking, the aid agencies can't just deliver aid without being told "we want it", can they?

No, I think they can. The World Food Program has been distributing aid for a long time! And why is it that individual governments could do it? Why is it that the United States government did not wait for anything? The United States government is represented in Angola, they saw we needed tents, they saw we needed blankets, they took the blankets and they gave them to us.

We do coordinate at various levels which allow anyone who's been dealing with us to know and understand what we need.

Do you think there's an underlying fear in the humanitarian community that your government is reluctant to help people it perceives as Unita supporters?

I don't think that's the problem. We are not reluctant. We are not reluctant because this aid is not going to the people of Unita, it's going to Angolans. The problem is that if they have aid they should come and give it. That's all. We should move from this kind of accusations and they should stick to what our President has written. We've asked for aid. We've defined the type of aid we need, just deliver it. Countries have been sending aid, even smaller countries. They know we need medication, they have sent the medication, this medication has been delivered and so I think that we should move away from this kind of putting across the problem wrongly.

One of allAfrica.com's readers wrote in to ask why the Angolan government was asking the outside world for money when they could spend their own money on aid. He quoted the Global Witness report which accused government members of corruption and said a third of 2001 revenues had been stolen.

First of all, I think that we have a different view. You've got to see who funds Global Witness, who they're working for, and then you'll understand. And therefore, I'm not sure -

Could you elaborate on that?

No, I don't think that is my task to do that. Why, all of the sudden, do we have to talk about Global Witness? I think what's important today is that Angola's coming out of a war. We are solving the major problems of the conflict. We have stayed. We respected our commitments. We will continue to respect those.

The accusations that have come out are not true. We simply have chosen a way of managing our war which was different. If we needed guns, we had to buy guns. There are people who worked for that end. We wanted peace. Where was Global Witness when the war started in Angola in 1992? What kind of action did they take? Who spoke about this at Global Witness? Who spoke about it when Unita re-armed?

We didn't have an army in 1992-3. We had to build one. We have always been transparent with ourselves. The methods have been different. We couldn't go to the open market and acquire the kind of instruments we needed. We had to find ways of handling that issue. We never even bought guns from France so there is no Angola-gate as such, unless for those who have different purposes in Angola.

I think that there are people who wanted to do business their way in Angola, people who wanted to have a monopoly in certain businesses, which is naturally against our laws, or is against what we think should be. Why should we have a relationship which prejudices our own interests in order to satisfy one company? If you understand that, then you will see why Global Witness will write articles like that. I am not worried about Global Witness. I think all that is important is that this government is dedicated to achieving peace and we have found the best solution to do so, and we will succeed with the help of those who understand what we are doing.

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