In a report released today at UN Headquarters in New York. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed the creation of a new United Nations mission for Angola, according to a report summarizing key developments since the death of Unita leader Jonas Savimbi on February 22 of this year.
"As Angola faces the challenges associated with the consolidation of peace, the country will require significant support by the international community and the United Nations in particular," wrote Annan in a report to the UN Secuity Council.
Despite three decades of conflict and suffering, "the prospects for peace are better today than at any time before," Annan wrote in the report.
The head of the world body has proposed that a UN Mission in Angola, to be known by the acronym UNMA, be established for an initial six-month period starting on August 16. He cautioned, however, that more time might be required to finish the process of demobilization and reintegration, as well as national reconciliation.
Annan proposes that UNMA, which would be headed by a special representative of the Secretary-General, be divided into two components, one dealing with political, military and human rights work and the other devoted to humanitarian concerns, economic recovery and development.
According to Annan, UNMA requires an increase in UN military personnel now stationed in Angola, including up to 11 military liaison officers already approved by the Council. Several political affairs officers and 16 additional human rights officers and a child protection adviser are also required. The cost for a six-month "bridging request" come to US$141m, to cover "the life-saving emergency needs of a highly vulnerable people."
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The UNMA mission will also be a liaison between the former Unita rebels and the Angolan MPLA government. Among its tasks are observing the demobilization and reintegration process, providing assistance to "peace consolidation programs," and helping to promote and protect human rights.
The "most urgent" task confronting UN efforts to consolidate peace is "the delivery of humanitarian assistance," said Annan. About three million Angolans are in need of food, clean water, health care and resettlement assistance. This week an Institute for Security Studies seminar in Pretoria, South Africa featured reports from security analysts saying that Angola faces a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced, a virtually non-existent health sector and severe food shortages.
