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UNITED
NATIONS ANGOLA VERIFICATION MISSION II
UNAVEM II (May 1991 - February 1995) |
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UNAVEM
II was established in May 1991 to verify the
arrangements agreed by the Government of Angola and the
União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, for
monitoring the ceasefire and the Angolan police during
the ceasefire period, and to observe and verify
elections, in accordance with the Peace Accords.
- UNAVEM II
was established by Security Council
resolution 696 (1991) of 30 May 1991 with
the following mandate: to verify the arrangements
agreed by the Angolan parties for the monitoring of
the ceasefire and for the monitoring of the Angolan
police during the ceasefire period.
- On 24 March 1992, the Security
Council, by its
resolution 747 (1992), decided to enlarge
the mandate of UNAVEM II to include observation and
verification of the presidential and legislative
elections in Angola.
- After renewed fighting in October
1992 between the Government of Angola and UNITA
forces, UNAVEM II's mandate was adjusted, in
accordance with Security Council resolutions
804 (1993) of 20 January 1993,
811 (1993) of 12 March 1993 and
834 (1993) of 1 June 1993, in order to
help the two sides reach agreement on modalities for
completing the peace process and, at the same time,
to broker and help implement ceasefires at the
national or local level.
- In connection with the signing on
20 November 1994 by the Government of Angola and
UNITA of the Lusaka Protocol, the Security Council,
by its
resolution 952 (1994) of 27 October 1994
and
resolution 966 (1994) of 8 December 1994,
authorized UNAVEM II to verify the initial stages of
the peace agreement.
In February 1995, the Security Council
set up a new mission --
UNAVEM III -- to monitor and verify the
implementation of the Lusaka Protocol.
The
Government of Angola and the opposition, the União
Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA),
have been engaged in an intermittent yet devastating
civil war since the country’s independence from Portugal
in 1975. By the 1980s, UNITA controlled large parts of
the country with help from the minority regime in South
Africa and the United States. The Government, for its
part, was supported by the Soviet Union and assisted by
Cuban forces.
In
December 1988, a complex international diplomatic
process aimed at achieving peace and stability in the
region resulted in agreements on both the implementation
of Security Council
resolution 435 (1978), leading to the
independence of Namibia, and the withdrawal of Cuban
troops from Angola. Under the latter agreement, the
first
United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM I)
was dispatched to Angola to monitor the Cuban troop
withdrawal, which was completed in May 1991.
Once
foreign troops were withdrawn from the country, the
international community also saw a chance to end the
long-standing conflict between the Angolan Government
and UNITA. In April 1990, the Government of Angola and
UNITA began a series of talks with participation by
Portugal as mediator and by the United States and the
Soviet Union as observers. The negotiations eventually
resulted in the Peace Accords for Angola (also known as
the Bicesse Accords or "Acordos de Paz para Angola"),
which were initialled on 1 May 1991 at Estoril,
Portugal, and signed by the President of Angola, Mr.
José Eduardo dos Santos, and the President of UNITA, Mr.
Jonas Savimbi, in Lisbon on 31 May 1991.
The Peace
Accords for Angola included four documents: a ceasefire
agreement; fundamental principles for the establishment
of peace in Angola; concepts for resolving the issues
still pending between the Government and UNITA; and the
Protocol of Estoril.
2. Establishment
of UNAVEM II
A de
facto suspension of hostilities came into effect on 15
May 1991. Two days later, the Secretary-General received
a letter from the Government of Angola requesting the
United Nations participation in verifying the
implementation of the Peace Accords. On 20 May 1991, the
Secretary-General recommended that the Security Council
entrust to UNAVEM the verification tasks attributed to
the United Nations in the Accords. Under the agreement,
UNAVEM II was to verify the ceasefire arrangements
throughout the country and monitor neutrality of the
Angolan police. The strength of the Mission would
comprise a group of up to 350 unarmed military observers
who would work closely with the Angolan monitoring teams
but would remain separate from them. The same procedure
would apply in the case of up to 90 UNAVEM police
observers.
On 30
May, the Council adopted its
resolution 696 (1991) giving a new mandate
to UNAVEM (thereafter UNAVEM II) and establishing the
Mission for a period of 17 months, until the day
following the completion of presidential and legislative
elections, scheduled for the fall of 1992.
3. Verification of
Ceasefire
The
United Nations verification operation began as soon as
the Angolan Peace Accords were formally signed on 31 May
1991. Advance parties of United Nations military
observers were deployed to five of UNAVEM II's six
regional headquarters on 2 June 1991, three days after
the Mission was established. Subsequently, UNAVEM II
teams of military observers were deployed at some 46
locations ("assembly areas") where the troops of the two
sides were assembled during the ceasefire, as well as at
several "critical points" (certain seaports, airports
and border posts).
In
essence, their task was to verify that joint monitoring
groups, composed in equal numbers of representatives of
the Angolan Government and of UNITA and responsible for
monitoring on the spot the observance of the ceasefire,
carried out their responsibilities. Working closely with
these monitoring groups, UNAVEM II verification teams
provided support in the investigation and resolution of
alleged violations of the cease-fire. They responded to
requests for assistance and used their good offices to
resolve problems within monitoring groups. The
neutrality of the Angolan police was to be verified by
monitoring teams also composed of members designated by
the Government of Angola and by UNITA. Their work was to
be verified by UNAVEM II police observers. The
monitoring teams and UNAVEM II observers were to visit
police facilities, examine activities of the police and,
if necessary, investigate alleged violations of
political rights. UNAVEM II police observers had been
deployed in all 18 Angolan provinces by October 1991.
As of 25
October 1991, the Mission included 350 military
observers, 89 police monitors, 14 military medical
personnel, 54 international civilian staff and 41 local
civilian staff. UNAVEM II was also equipped with a
civilian air unit, made up of one fixed-wing cargo
aircraft and 12 utility helicopters, supplemented when
necessary by hiring a heavy cargo aircraft and a small
passenger aircraft. With the agreement of the parties,
UNAVEM II took the lead in monitoring some aspects of
the Accords, including regular counting of troops and of
weapons in all assembly areas and communicating relevant
information to Luanda, and offered advice on ways to
overcome practical difficulties in the assembly process.
In addition, United Nations humanitarian agencies and
programmes were heavily involved in the provision of
food and other assistance to cantoned troops.
As for
the parties’ compliance with the Peace Accords, there
was considerable room for improvement. Although there
were no major violations of the ceasefire, observance of
the its provisions was affected by antagonisms and
misunderstandings, as well as logistical difficulties,
especially in the provision of logistical support in
troop assembly areas, which had to be established and
maintained by the parties. By October 1991, troop
assembly had fallen seriously behind schedule, and the
two sides had failed to create joint police monitoring
groups. These delays further undermined confidence and
trust between the parties. While they chose to defuse
many incidents through the joint monitoring and
verification bodies established by the Peace Accords,
the political and security atmosphere remained tense and
fragile, with reports of violent incidents as well as of
intimidation and provocation by both Government and
UNITA supporters.
4. Observation of
Electoral Process
The Peace
Accords provided for "free and fair elections for a new
Government" under "the supervision of international
election observers". In December 1991, the Government of
Angola requested United Nations technical assistance to
help prepare for and conduct the elections, as well as
the dispatch of United Nations observers to follow the
entire electoral process until its completion in the
fall of 1992. An agreement on technical assistance was
signed with the Angolan Government in January 1992.
On 6
February 1992, the Secretary-General informed the
Security Council of his decision to appoint Miss
Margaret Joan Anstee (United Kingdom), as his Special
Representative to coordinate all United Nations
activities in connection with the Angola Peace Accords,
and as Chief of Mission of UNAVEM II. On 3 March,
following the Special Representative's visit to Angola,
the Secretary-General submitted to the Council his
report with recommendations concerning the United
Nations role in observing the forthcoming elections. On
24 March, the Council, by its
resolution 747 (1992) , decided to enlarge
UNAVEM II’s mandate to include election observation in
Angola.
The
office of the Special Representative was established in
Luanda in March 1992. In addition to its deployed
military and police observers and civilian staff, UNAVEM
II was enlarged to include an Electoral Division, headed
by a Chief Electoral Officer. Offices of the Electoral
Division were established in Luanda, in the six Angolan
regions and in the capitals of all 18 provinces.
Approximately 100 international staff and the requisite
number of local staff were deployed in the regional and
provincial electoral offices.
The
United Nations role was to observe and verify the
elections, not to organize them. The electoral process
was organized and directed by the National Electoral
Council (NEC), on which all legalized political parties
in Angola were represented, and supported by technical
assistance provided by experts and consultants from the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The
electoral process comprised four phases: the
registration of voters from 20 May to 10 August; the
electoral campaign from 29 August to 28 September; the
presidential and legislative elections on 29 and 30
September; and the counting of the votes, investigation
of complaints and announcement of the final results by
the President of NEC on 17 October.
In his
report to the Security Council dated 9 September 1992,
the Secretary-General stated that the results of the
registration exercise had surpassed expectations, with
NEC reporting the registration of 4.8 million eligible
voters, representing some 92 per cent of an estimated
voting population of 5.3 million. The electoral campaign
was conducted without major violence, although there
were reports of intimidation by some political parties,
notably UNITA and the Movimento Popular para a
Libertaçao de Angola (MPLA), as well as difficulties of
access to certain areas, particularly those controlled
by UNITA. The 18 political parties which had presented
candidates campaigned actively. There were complaints,
especially from the smaller parties, about the continued
existence of the Government and UNITA armies, the slow
progress in demobilization and in forming the new
Angolan Armed Forces, and lack of access to the
Government-controlled radio and television, whose
alleged partiality was criticized.
UNAVEM II
electoral observers monitored the campaign, contributed
to civic education programmes and provided information
on UNAVEM II’s role. In addition, UNAVEM II and UNDP
organized the air support operation, consisting of 45
helicopters and 15 fixed-wing aircraft, to overcome the
logistical difficulties in reaching the more
inaccessible polling stations. For the observation and
verification of the voting on 29 and 30 September 1992,
UNAVEM II deployed 400 electoral observers. Operating
largely as two-person mobile teams, the observers
covered all 18 provinces and most of the 164
municipalities, and visited about 4,000 of some 6,000
polling stations.
As
regards its mandate in military matters, UNAVEM II
continued to carry out its verification functions at the
assembly areas up to and after the announced disbandment
of the two former armies of FAPLA (Government) and FALA
(UNITA) on 27 September 1992. As the elections drew
near, demobilization formally accelerated. By 7 October,
a total of 96,620 Government troops had been
demobilized, representing 80 per cent of the projected
figure. However, a much lower proportion of ex-FALA
troops were demobilized.
United
Nations police observers continued their verification of
police neutrality, with the Angolan joint monitoring
groups being almost entirely dependent on UNAVEM II for
transport and communications. Little progress was made
in developing a representative national police force.
5. UNITA Rejects Election
Results
On 1
October 1992, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative issued a statement in which she noted
that the great majority of the registered voters had
cast their ballots in peaceful and orderly conditions,
despite organizational and logistical difficulties.
However,
complaints were raised on 3 October and thereafter by
UNITA and some other parties of widespread, massive and
systematic irregularities and fraud during the
elections. The Secretary-General urged the leader of
UNITA, Mr. Jonas Savimbi, not to reject the results of
the elections, pending investigation of UNITA’s
complaints, and emphasized the urgency of a meeting
between him and President José Eduardo dos Santos. The
complaints were investigated by NEC, with the active
assistance of UNAVEM II. Investigative commissions were
sent to all 18 provinces, but found no conclusive
evidence of systematic and massive fraud which would
offset the overall results of the elections.
Meanwhile, a major violation of the Peace Accords
occurred early in October, when 11 former UNITA
generals, including the commander of UNITA’s army,
withdrew from the new, unified Angolan Armed Forces, in
protest at what they called "fraud and cheating" in the
elections.
In view
of these developments, the Security Council sent to
Angola, from 11 to 14 October, an ad hoc Commission,
composed of the representatives of Cape Verde, Morocco,
the Russian Federation and the United States, to support
implementation of the Peace Accords. Notwithstanding all
diplomatic efforts, the political and military situation
in the country continued to deteriorate.
On 17
October 1992, the President of NEC announced the
official election results. More than 91 per cent of
those registered had voted. MPLA had won the legislative
elections, with 53.74 per cent of the votes, against
UNITA’s 34.1 per cent. In the presidential elections,
President dos Santos had received 49.57 per cent,
against Mr. Savimbi’s 40.07 per cent; since neither had
achieved 50 per cent, the Electoral Law required a
second round. The Secretary-General’s Special
Representative issued a statement on 17 October, saying
"there was no conclusive evidence of major systematic or
widespread fraud, or that the irregularities were of
magnitude to have a significant effect on the results
officially announced on 17 October". She emphasized
that, "with all deficiencies taken into account, the
elections held on 29 and 30 September 1992 can be
considered to have been generally free and fair".
After the
election results were announced, UNITA launched a
nationwide operation to occupy municipalities by force
and remove the Government’s local administrative
structures. On 27 October, the Secretary-General
conveyed to the Security Council his serious concern at
the rising tension. The Council once again called upon
both parties to abide by all their commitments under the
Peace Accords, in particular the confinement of their
troops and collection of weapons, demobilization and the
formation of the unified Angolan Armed Forces. It
requested UNITA to respect the results of the elections
and urged the leaders of the two parties to engage in
immediate dialogue to enable the second round of the
presidential elections to be held.
On 30
October, the Security Council, faced with further
alarming reports of resumed hostilities in many parts of
the country, adopted
resolution 785 (1992) , extending the
mandate of UNAVEM II until 30 November 1992, and
endorsing the statement by the Secretary-General’s
Special Representative on the elections having been
generally free and fair.
Barely 23
hours later, on 31 October, heavy fighting broke out
between the Government and UNITA forces, especially in
Luanda. The Secretary-General’s efforts, supported by a
number of Member States, resulted in a ceasefire which
came officially into effect on 2 November. UNAVEM II,
which kept its military, police and civilian presence
intact at 67 locations throughout the country, worked to
maintain the ceasefire, patrolling trouble spots and
using its good offices to foster dialogue between the
parties.
6. Secretary-General
Evaluates Situation
On 25
November 1992, the Secretary-General submitted to the
Security Council a detailed report on the situation in
Angola, and recommended extension of the mandate of
UNAVEM II for a two-month period, until 31 January 1993.
The Secretary-General stated that although it was too
soon to analyze the causes of the deteriorating
situation in Angola, it was already clear that a root
cause was the incomplete fulfilment of key provisions in
the Peace Accords. Among those failings were the less
than effective demobilization and storage of weapons;
the delay in creating the unified Angolan Armed Forces
(FAA), which only formally came into being two days
before the elections; the failure to re-establish
effective central administration in many parts of the
country; and the delay in setting up a neutral police
force. It had also been difficult to create in 16
months, after as many years of civil war, an atmosphere
of mutual confidence, tolerance and respect.
Yet, the
Secretary-General emphasized, "it is also too soon to
despair of the Angolan peace process", noting the
renewed commitment to the process by both parties. On 30
November, the Security Council, by its
resolution 793 (1992), extended UNAVEM II’s
mandate until 31 January 1993. Meanwhile, the efforts of
the Secretary-General’s Special Representative resulted
in a meeting on 26 November 1992 in the southern
provincial capital of Namibe between senior delegations
from the two sides, where they pledged themselves to
full acceptance of the validity of the Peace Accords, to
an effective ceasefire throughout the country and the
immediate cessation of all offensive movements, and to
the need for a larger United Nations involvement.
However, almost immediately, this progress was followed
by a set-back when, on 29 November, UNITA forces took
the northern provincial capital of Uige and an important
airbase nearby, Negage. Attempts to restore dialogue
between the two sides, including the Secretary-General’s
personal invitation to President dos Santos and Mr.
Savimbi to meet with him at an agreed location, failed.
The situation further deteriorated with outbreaks of
heavy fighting in at least 10 provincial capitals and
other population centres, with each side blaming the
other for initiating those hostilities.
Reporting
to the Council on 21 January 1993, the Secretary-General
stated that "to all intents and purposes, Angola has
returned to civil war, and is probably in an even worse
situation than that which prevailed before the Peace
Accords were signed in May 1991". The conflict engulfed
towns and population centres in a way unprecedented
during the previous 16 years, and there were "disturbing
but unconfirmed reports" that new supplies of arms might
be entering the country. In addition, the widespread
fighting and the absence of government administration in
much of the countryside led to widespread hunger and the
flight of large numbers of people from the towns
involved in the conflict. "An already serious
humanitarian situation has become catastrophic in many
areas", the Secretary-General stated, and the capacity
of international humanitarian agencies to provide
assistance had been severely disrupted.
7. UNAVEM's Mandate
Adjusted
According
to the 21 January report, the crisis in Angola thrust
UNAVEM II into a central mediating role. However, the
Secretary-General noted, with the outbreak of violent
and widespread hostilities, and the total collapse of
the joint monitoring mechanisms, "UNAVEM II’s original
mandate has become less and less relevant". Even its
mediating role had been increasingly limited by the
deteriorating security situation. At the same time,
UNAVEM II teams in the field faced mounting dangers,
which became so extensive that 45 of UNAVEM’s 67
locations had to be evacuated.
The
Secretary-General outlined three options for the future
of UNAVEM II. The first option was to maintain the
mission at its existing strength; the second was to
reduce UNAVEM II's provincial deployment to
approximately six locations. The Secretary-General’s
preferred option was to confine UNAVEM II's deployment
to the capital, Luanda, and to one or two outstations
but with the capability to deploy to six provincial
sites if needed, to support his Special Representative’s
peacemaking efforts. On 29 January, the Security
Council, by its
resolution 804 (1993) , extended the mandate
of UNAVEM II for a period of three months, until 30
April 1993. As a provisional measure based on security
considerations, the Secretary-General was authorized to
concentrate UNAVEM II’s deployment in Luanda and, at his
discretion, in other provincial locations, with the
levels of personnel and equipment he deemed appropriate
to allow for the subsequent expeditious redeployment of
UNAVEM II as soon as this became feasible. By other
provisions of the resolution, the Council demanded,
inter alia, that the two parties establish a
ceasefire immediately, restore continued and meaningful
dialogue and agree on a clear timetable for the full
implementation of the Peace Accords.
Subsequently, the Secretary-General decided to
temporarily decrease the strength of the Mission. In the
following months, the mandate of UNAVEM II was extended
by the Security Council on several occasions to allow
the Mission to help the two sides reach agreement on
modalities for completing the peace process and, at the
same time, to broker and help implement ceasefires at
the national or local level.
8. Further Efforts to
Restore Peace
As Angola
plunged back into civil war, the Secretary-General and
his Special Representative renewed their mediation.
Talks were held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss
prerequisites for the effective re-launching of the
peace process in Angola. During the first round of the
talks, which was held from 27 to 30 January 1993, the
Government and UNITA reached agreement on a number of
questions, but some key issues remained to be resolved
before a ceasefire could be arranged. The second round
in Addis Ababa had to be cancelled, due to the failure
of UNITA to send its delegation there. Following a
demand by the Security Council for the resumption of
dialogue and after repeated efforts by the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative to arrange a
meeting between the two sides, peace talks resumed in
April in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, but broke down again in
May.
On 15
September 1993, the Security Council, by
resolution 864 (1993) , further extended the
existing mandate of UNAVEM II for a period of three
months. It reiterated its readiness to consider
expanding substantially the United Nations presence in
Angola in the event of significant progress in the peace
process. At that time, UNAVEM II was deployed at five
locations, with its military and police observers
patrolling the areas, maintaining liaison with the
respective local authorities, rendering support to
humanitarian assistance operations, conducting
investigations and other activities
By the
same resolution, the Council condemned UNITA for its
continuing military actions, and, acting under Chapter
VII of the Charter, imposed an embargo on the supply of
arms and petroleum products to UNITA. The Council
insisted that UNITA respect the 1991 Peace Accords, and
that the parties make every effort to restart
negotiations.
The
United Nations continued its efforts to facilitate the
resumption of the peace process in consultation with the
Angolan parties and interested countries, including, in
particular, the observer States to the Peace Accords --
Portugal, the Russian Federation and the United States.
On 15 November 1993, following extensive consultations
and exploratory talks, the Government of Angola and
UNITA began talks in Lusaka, Zambia, chaired by the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Alioune
Blondin Beye (Mali). [Mr. Beye succeeded Ms. Anstee on
28 June 1993]. Agreement on the military questions on
the agenda was reached in December 1993. Agreement on
the police was reached in January 1994; on the
completion of the electoral process in May; on the new
United Nations mandate and the role of the three
observer States (Portugal, the Russian Federation and
the United States) in October. The question of national
reconciliation proved to be the most difficult, since it
involved matters such as the allocation of senior
government posts to UNITA, including the governorships
of provinces. After laborious negotiations, agreement
was reached in October 1994.
In the
meantime, in early September 1994, the Secretary-General
sent a special mission to Angola, headed by former
Under-Secretary-General James O. C. Jonah. The mission
assessed United Nations efforts in peacemaking,
peacekeeping and humanitarian relief at a time when the
Lusaka peace talks were in their final phase, with the
parties negotiating the last item on their agenda,
namely, the new mechanism for implementing the Peace
Accords and the forthcoming Lusaka Protocol. The United
Nations was to provide an important element of that
mechanism.
On 20
October 1994, in the expectation that an agreement would
be concluded by 31 October, the Secretary-General
recommended to the Security Council that the
existing mandate of UNAVEM II be extended until 31
November 1994. He also suggested that the Council might
wish to consider authorizing the restoration of UNAVEM
II to its previous strength so as to enable the Mission
to consolidate implementation of the peace agreement in
its initial and most critical stage. On 27 October, the
Security Council, by
resolution 952 (1994) , extended the mandate
of UNAVEM II to 8 December 1994, and authorized the
restoration of the Mission's strength to its previous
level of 350 military and 126 police observers, once the
Secretary-General reported that a peace agreement had
been initialled and an effective ceasefire was in place.
The Council also reaffirmed its readiness to consider
promptly, once the Lusaka Protocol had been formally
signed, any recommendation from the Secretary-General
for an expanded United Nations presence in Angola.
9. Lusaka Protocol
A
comprehensive peace agreement, the Lusaka Protocol, was
initialled on 31 October and signed on 20 November 1994
in Lusaka by the Minister for External Relations of
Angola, Mr. Venâncio de Moura, and by the
Secretary-General of UNITA and its chief negotiator at
Lusaka, Mr. Eugénio Manuvakola, in the presence of
President dos Santos. The ceremony was witnessed by
several heads of State, a number of foreign ministers
and other dignitaries. Citing security concerns, Mr.
Savimbi did not travel to the Zambian capital.
The
Lusaka Protocol consisted of 10 annexes, each relating
to a particular issue on the agenda of the peace talks,
covering legal, military and political issues. The main
military issues centred on the re-establishment of the
ceasefire; the withdrawal, quartering and
demilitarization of all UNITA military forces; the
disarming of civilians; and the completion of the
formation of FAA. The major political issues included
the neutrality of the national police and the
integration of UNITA elements into its ranks; the
mandate of the United Nations and the role of the
observers of the Peace Accords; the completion of the
electoral process; and the question of national
reconciliation.
10. UNAVEM III
Established
Even
after the ceasefire formally went into effect on 22
November, the military situation in many parts of Angola
remained tense, with some fighting reported between
Government forces and UNITA. In order to enhance the
verification capabilities of UNAVEM II and as an
additional confidence-building measure, the Special
Representative decided to deploy to the countryside
small teams of military and police personnel already
serving with the Mission. Accordingly, on 27-29
November, UNAVEM II regional headquarters were
established in the cities of Huambo, Luena, Menongue,
Saurimo and Uíge, in addition to one already existing in
Lubango. The Secretary-General also dispatched a small
group of specialists from the United Nations Secretariat
to Angola to conduct a technical survey. On the basis of
the team's proposals, he intended subsequently to
present to the Security Council comprehensive
recommendations for the overall role of the United
Nations in the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol.
In his
progress report submitted to the Security
Council on 4 December 1994, the Secretary-General
reiterated that once his Special Representative had
reported to him that the ceasefire was effective, he
would proceed with the expansion of UNAVEM II to its
previous level. In the meantime, the Secretary-General
recommended that the mandate of the Mission be extended
for a further period, until 31 January 1995. At the same
time, he would continue to prepare recommendations to
the Council on the possible mandate for an expanded
United Nations operation in Angola. On 7 December, the
Secretary-General
reported that the Special Representative had
informed him that the ceasefire was generally holding,
despite some initial difficulties. The
Secretary-General, therefore, intended to proceed with
the restoration of the strength of UNAVEM to its
previous level and the deployment of the mission
throughout the country. In addition to existing tasks,
the mission would monitor and verify all major elements
of the Lusaka Protocol and provide good offices to the
parties, including at the local level.
On 8
December, the Security Council, by its
resolution 966 (1994) , decided to extend
the mandate of UNAVEM II until 8 February 1995 to enable
it to monitor the ceasefire established by the Protocol,
and welcomed the Secretary-General's intention to
restore UNAVEM II to its previous level, contingent on
strict observance of an effective ceasefire and on
guarantees of security for United Nations personnel. The
Council noted the intention of the Secretary-General to
submit a report on the possible mandate for a new United
Nations operation in Angola, and welcomed the continued
planning in this regard.
On 1
February 1995, the Secretary-General
presented to the Security Council the
possible mandate for a new United Nations operation in
the country, UNAVEM III. At the same time, he reported
that UNAVEM II had been steadily increased in strength.
As of 31 January, the number of military observers had
increased from 50 to 171, and civilian police observers
had increased from 18 to 122. On 8 February 1995, by its
resolution 976 (1995), the Council
authorized the establishment of UNAVEM III to assist the
parties to restore peace and achieve national
reconciliation on the basis of the Peace Accords, the
Lusaka Protocol and relevant Security Council
resolutions.
11. Humanitarian
Situation
A
particularly harsh element of the situation in Angola
was the severe toll of the conflict on the civilian
population. It was estimated that during 1993 close to
1,000 persons died every day from the direct or indirect
effects of the war. Children, women and the elderly were
among the worst hit. In spite of the difficulties
created by the war, the United Nations intensified its
humanitarian action to reach some 2 million people
severely affected by the conflict. To this end, a United
Nations Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit
(UCAH), headed by a senior official with extensive
operational experience, was set up in Luanda in late
April 1993, under the overall authority of the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General.
United
Nations agencies and programmes made intensive efforts
to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, but
it was often impossible to reach those in the interior
of the country. Only in October 1993, following
intensive negotiations with the two parties on
humanitarian access and a general decrease in the level
of fighting country-wide, were relief flights able to
reach besieged cities such as Kuito and Huambo, whose
populations had been cut off from international
assistance for many months. In many of these previously
inaccessible communities, people were found to be
starving to death, and the malnutrition rates in many
cases were higher than 35 per cent. The United Nations
started a massive programme of humanitarian assistance.
WFP spearheaded the effort by providing air transport of
relief supplies for other United Nations agencies, such
as the United Nations Children's Fund and the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR).
Six
months of relative stability and steady progress in
relief efforts between November 1993 and April 1994 were
followed by intensified conflict and a near standstill
in humanitarian assistance to critical areas of the
country. United Nations officials negotiated with both
sides in the conflict in order to secure access to
people in need. But between mid-May and mid-August 1994,
the delivery of humanitarian relief dropped sharply, due
to increased security risks and curtailment or
suspension of relief flights.
In June
1994, the Secretary-General drew the Security Council’s
attention to the dramatic escalation in the number of
serious violations of humanitarian law in Angola, the
rapid deterioration in the humanitarian situation in
places where access was being denied, and threats to the
safety of relief workers. The Council deplored the
worsening of the humanitarian situation and urged the
parties to grant all necessary security guarantees and
to refrain from actions endangering relief personnel or
disrupting humanitarian assistance.
Despite
major logistical difficulties, United Nations relief
programmes did manage to provide relief to accessible
populations in need. In the coastal provinces and other
areas considered secure, national and international NGOs
worked with the United Nations to provide food and other
emergency assistance to large numbers of Angolans
displaced by the war or affected by the country-wide
economic decline. UCAH played a major role in that
process. On 21 May 1993, the United Nations Department
of Humanitarian Affairs launched an inter-agency appeal
for Angola, seeking some $226 million in emergency
humanitarian assistance for 2 million Angolans in need.
Donors provided nearly 50 per cent of that figure by the
end of January 1994.
Between
February and September 1994, the Department of
Humanitarian Affairs twice revised and updated the
consolidated inter-agency appeals to support
humanitarian action in Angola. An appeal for the period
February to June initially sought $179 million. By
mid-August, donors had pledged nearly 70 per cent of
that amount and had responded particularly well with
commitments in the agricultural sector. Funds for basic
non-food relief and survival items were not forthcoming,
however, and the affected population receiving
assistance was 10 per cent larger than the figure
anticipated in February. In September, the Department of
Humanitarian Affairs further updated the appeal, seeking
$61 million to cover the estimated shortfall in funding
for relief activities until the end of the year and
estimated at $188 million the total requirements for
humanitarian assistance in Angola for the period
February to December 1994. Most of that sum was for food
aid, followed by assistance particularly targeted at
children and mothers. Pledges towards this overall total
remained at roughly 70 per cent of requirements at the
end of 1994.
In early
1995, some 3.5 million Angolans living in accessible
areas were receiving humanitarian aid. Supplies went by
air and road to an average of 15 cities every week.
Approximately 112,000 returnees and other vulnerable
groups living near resettlement areas were receiving aid
from UNHCR. Some 280,000 Angolan refugees in the Congo,
Namibia, Zaire and Zambia were expected to begin
returning as conditions improved in Angola. A particular
problem was posed by land- mines. Angola, a country with
an estimated population of 11 million, was reported to
be the "most mine-polluted country in the world", with
an estimated 10 million unexploded pieces of ordnance
distributed throughout the territory. On 1 February
1995, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs issued a
consolidated inter-agency appeal for Angola in the
amount of $213 million. Of that, $55.8 million was for
demobilization and reintegration and $12.4 million for
mine action.
12. Conclusion
UNAVEM II
operated in a dangerous and complex conflict situation
requiring flexibility and innovation. While the scope of
its mandate was limited by the Peace Accords, UNAVEM II,
from its very inception, had to take the lead in
actively assisting the parties in overcoming obstacles
to the implementation of the Accords. Its political
role, however, remained restricted. UNAVEM II also made
a major contribution to the impressive achievement
represented by the successful, internationally monitored
conduct of elections in a war-torn country. In the
period after the renewal of hostilities, UNAVEM II
maintained its political and military presence and
became an essential factor in a continuous United
Nations effort to facilitate the resumption of
negotiations to advance the peace process as well as in
monitoring the dramatically evolving situation in the
country. As a neutral body, UNAVEM II was an
indispensable channel for communications and repeatedly
drew the warring parties back to the negotiating process
while fulfilling other vital functions, such as its
support for humanitarian activities. To some extent, the
Mission became important as a preventive measure to
check further escalation.
At the
same time, the setbacks experienced by UNAVEM II show
the risks faced by the United Nations when its mandate
and resources are inadequate in relation to the
complexities of the task, especially in circumstances
where the parties do not demonstrate the necessary
political will for peace. The short time-frame allotted
for the cantonment and the demobilization of troops and
for national reconciliation, and the narrow scope of
United Nations activities in assuring compliance with
major provisions of the Peace Accords, had a negative
impact on the overall situation. Following the aftermath
of the elections, the Secretary-General observed that
the deliberately limited role assigned by the two
parties and the observers in the Peace Accords to UNAVEM
II in military matters, which was only to verify the
efficient working of joint monitoring mechanisms to be
established and chaired by the parties themselves,
hampered its ability to correct the drift towards
non-compliance".
Source -
United Nations |
