About 220,000 Angolans were refugees in neighboring countries, and an estimated 1.2 million were internally displaced at the end of 1996. Some 100,000 or more Angolan refugees were in Zaire, about 100,000 in Zambia, more than 13,000 in Congo, 6,000 in South Africa, and 1,000 in Namibia. During 1996, nearly 60,000 Angolans repatriated from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR. More than 9,000 refugees from Zaire were registered with UNHCR in Angola. Pre-1996 Events The signing of the Lusaka Protocol in November 1994 officially ended the nearly 20-year-long war between the Angolan government and rebels of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). (A separate, smaller conflict involving an independence movement in the oil-rich enclave of Cabinda was not covered by that agreement.) The peace accord left the country divided between two armies. That division, the vast destruction of the transportation infrastructure, banditry, and widespread distribution of landmines prevented most civilians from moving freely, even after large-scale conflict had ceased. Those same factors made providing humanitarian assistance a difficult and often dangerous task. In 1995, a 6,500-strong UN military force, known as UNAVEM III, entered Angola to monitor implementation of the Lusaka Protocol. The UN force cost about $1 million per day, and was slated to remain in Angola until mid-1997. Peace Process UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali characterized the pattern in Angola during 1996 as one of "grudging compliance with the provisions of the Lusaka Protocol, with protracted delays and last-minute concessions." In August, UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi rejected the Angolan government's offer that he fill one of two vice presidential posts, a position created specifically for him, leaving in doubt his commitment to creating a government of national unity. In October, the UN Security Council threatened further sanctions against UNITA if it failed to complete specific military tasks. At year's end, Angolan government officials indicated that they hoped to form a government of national unity in early 1997. Among the major goals of the peace process during 1996 were the assembly and disarmament of UNITA troops, which were scheduled to precede the incorporation of some 26,000 UNITA soldiers into the government military and the demobilization of the remainder. During 1996, more than 70,000 men and boys (accompanied by 120,000 civilian dependents) arrived at quartering areas established for UNITA combatants, but their identity and the quality of weapons they carried raised doubt about UNITA's commitment to disarmament. By many accounts, a majority of the troops who arrived at assembly sites were not full-time soldiers, but were militiamen. Significant numbers of those assembled appeared to be civilians who were forcibly conscripted by UNITA to pose as soldiers. Only about half of the UNITA "troops" who arrived at assembly areas carried weapons, and more than 15,000 subsequently deserted, some in a reportedly organized manner. On December 10, UNITA declared officially that it had completed all the military tasks mandated by the Lusaka Protocol, including assembling all its combatants and handing over all its weapons and ammunition. Many observers disputed that contention, maintaining that UNITA still possessed significant military ability with professional soldiers and hidden weapons, probably in the Lunda provinces of the northeast and in neighboring Zaire. UNAVEM III reported that it was aware of 74 roadblocks and three operational bases still maintained by UNITA. In late December, a ceremony in Luanda officially integrated UNITA generals and other senior military officers into the Angolan army. On December 11, the Security Council adopted a resolution approving the withdrawal of UNAVEM III, despite the widespread belief that UNITA had not assembled all its troops or turned in all its weapons. The Security Council also called on the government to "avoid offensive military operations which go beyond those strictly necessary for the restoration and maintenance of law and order." Although UNAVEM III's mandate expires officially in early 1997, its withdrawal is expected last until at least mid-1997. Internal Displacement Estimates of the number of persons uprooted in Angola are inexact. By late 1996, perhaps some 1.2 million Angolans remained displaced internally. During 1996, some displaced persons began to return to their homes, but "banditry, landmines, and general insecurity" deterred many others from returning, according to the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Displaced persons returned home in relatively small numbers, and there was essentially no return to UNITA-controlled areas. In March, IOM began to transport the first of some 3,000 displaced persons to Malange province, in north-central Angola, from Luanda. In April, reports indicated that some 7,500 displaced persons had resettled in Kuanza Norte province, east of Luanda. IOM reported that by mid-1996, only 150,000 displaced persons had been able to return to home areas or to resettle elsewhere in the country during the nearly 18 months since the signing of the peace accord. In the weeks prior to the planting season (beginning roughly in October), more displaced persons began to move to their areas of origin or to areas where land was available, where NGOs and UN agencies distributed seeds and tools. However, the UN's Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit described the movements as "slow," primarily "due to security concerns." Beginning in September, some 20,000 persons who had been displaced to Luena, the major town in eastern Angola's Moxico province, settled in a number of small communities outside Luena. Although some of the displaced were originally from the area, others were from farther afield and decided to resettle there. Most displaced persons could not return. In Cubal, in Benguela province, continuing insecurity concerns prevented about 100,000 displaced persons from returning. Pro-government militia in the area, who reportedly entered formerly UNITA-held territory, burning villages and creating new populations of internally displaced persons, heightened the insecurity. These actions created an enlarged "no-man's land," which lacked effective civil administration from either the government or UNITA. Large displaced and war-affected populations continued to receive food assistance in central and eastern provinces, including Bié, Benguela, Cuando Cubango, Huila, Malange, Moxico, and others. Other displaced and war-affected populations with access to land received seeds and tools, in an effort to assist them to become more self- sufficient. At the beginning of 1996, more than one million Angolans received food assistance from the international aid community. WFP's plans at year's end called for continuing food assistance for some 700,000 displaced or war-affected persons. WFP reportedly transported nearly 100,000 metric tons of relief food during 1996. Security Issues Although the government, UNITA, the UN, and various NGOs reportedly removed tens of thousands of landmines during 1996, that represented less than one percent of the mines believed to exist in the country. In November, UNAVEM reported that 7,000 kms of road had been demined. However, incidents of re-mining were reported in several regions, casting doubt on road safety. Civilians, soldiers, and several UNAVEM troops were killed in mine incidents on roads that had already been cleared. Despite the danger of road travel, the UN reported that by the end of 1996, more than 85 percent of humanitarian assistance was being delivered by road, compared to 50 percent at the beginning of the year. With banditry common and nearly one million guns still in civilian hands, according to some estimates, mines were not the only threat to travelers. Aid workers were killed in at least two armed attacks during 1996. Reports of UNITA abuses against civilians persisted, and reports from South Africa indicated that Angolans were still fleeing UNITA-held areas during 1996, seeking asylum in that country. Repatriation to Angola In 1995, UNHCR appealed for $44 million to cover a proposed 30-month repatriation and reintegration program for Angolan refugees. Under UNHCR's original plan, the agency was to begin transporting refugees back to Angola in June 1996. In late 1995, USCR conducted a site visit to Angola, Zaire, and Zambia. USCR recommended that UNHCR should reevaluate its repatriation planning in light of the slow pace of implementing Angola's peace accord. USCR said that plans to complete the movement phase of the repatriation by the end of 1996 were "unrealistic" and "unsafe." In May 1996, USCR wrote to the U.S. ambassador to Angola, requesting that he use his influence to ensure that routes to be used by returning refugees be adequately surveyed for the presence of landmines. USCR also wrote to UNHCR on numerous occasions, requesting updates on UNHCR's planning, and continued to express concern about premature repatriation. The slow and incomplete nature of the peace process in Angola led UNHCR to postpone the organized repatriation, first until October 1996, and then until May 1997. Despite the postponement of the formal repatriation program, UNHCR reported that nearly 60,000 Angolans repatriated spontaneously during 1996, including more than 37,000 from Zambia and more than 21,000 from Zaire. Only 86 Angolans participated in UNHCR-organized returns. Registered returnees received both food and non-food assistance in Angola. More than 40,000 returnees entered Moxico province, which borders both Zambia and Zaire. More than 9,000 returnees entered Uige and Zaire provinces, along Angola's northern border with Zaire, according to UNHCR. Nearly 10,000 others entered the northern Angolan enclave of Cabinda, according to the Angolan government. Zairian Refugees More than 9,300 Zairian refugees were registered with UNHCR in Angola at year's end. Many Zairian refugees in Angola originated in southern Zaire's Shaba (formerly Katanga) province, and fled in the aftermath of unsuccessful attempts at Katangan independence during the 1970s. In mid-1995, Zairian authorities resumed providing limited clearances for repatriation. During 1996, 588 Zairian refugees repatriated from Angola under UNHCR auspices. Zairian authorities refused to provide repatriation clearances to refugees living in the provinces that border Zaire's Shaba province on the grounds that these refugees may be ex-Katangan soldiers. Expulsions from Angola In August, Angola expelled hundreds of foreigners, many of them traders in the capital, Luanda. Those expelled included Senegalese, Guineans, Indians, Lebanese, and others. Angola alleged that those expelled were working illegally in Angola. Earlier in the year, Angola reportedly expelled more than 1,000 Zairians for illegal diamond trafficking. It was unclear if any of those expelled feared persecution in their home countries. UNHCR reported that 14 Palestinians and two Chadians approached the UNHCR office seeking protection as refugees during the campaign. The Palestinians were permitted to remain in Angola, while the Chadians, who, according to UNHCR, did not qualify for refugee status, were expelled to Gabon. n
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