DATE=9/1/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ANGOLA / UNITA / STARVATION (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-253326
BYLINE=ALEX BELIDA
DATELINE=LUSAKA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Credible reports have surfaced of widespread
starvation and disease in the vast areas of war-torn
Angola controlled by rebels of the UNITA movement. V-
O-A Southern Africa Correspondent Alex Belida reports
from the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
TEXT: UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi says reports
of a humanitarian crisis in Angola are a "big lie."
But aid workers, foreign journalists, and other
independent observers say that as a result of renewed
fighting in the country, scores of Angolans have
already starved to death and many more have been
dangerously weakened by malnutrition and other
diseases.
These independent reports all stem from conditions
witnessed exclusively in government-held portions of
war-torn Angola, an area estimated to be just about 30
percent of the country. Now, however, credible
reports have emerged of similar suffering in the much
larger, 70 percent of Angola controlled by the rebels.
Ngande Mwanajiti is the Executive Director of AFRONET,
the Inter-African Network for Human Rights and
Development. His Lusaka-based independent monitoring
group has been interviewing the steady flow of
refugees arriving in Zambia this year from UNITA-held
territory.
/// MWANAJITI ACTUALITY ONE ///
The testimonies we heard are shocking to say the
least.
/// END ACT ///
In a V-O-A interview in Lusaka, Mr. Mwanajiti says the
refugees report widespread starvation. He says they
also complain about the lack of even basic medical
care.
/// MWANAJITI ACTUALITY TWO ///
Children do not have access to vaccinations and
therefore you are talking about not preventing
preventable diseases and we have learned and
heard of grinding poverty as a result of the
fact that although UNITA controls this huge
territory, they have absolutely no
responsibility over the inhabitants of the
territory.
/// END ACT ///
Officials of the United Nations refugee agency in
Lusaka confirm that Angolans fleeing into Zambia from
rebel-held areas are reporting cases of starvation as
well as serious health problems.
/// OPT /// There are around 150 thousand Angolan
refugees now in Zambia. About two thousand have
arrived since fighting resumed late last year and more
are expected as conditions continue to deteriorate.
/// END OPT ///
Relief workers say they are concerned about the
situation in UNITA-held territory. But they say that
for the moment, they have no access to those areas for
carrying out their humanitarian assistance programs.
The U-N Security Council this week said the
humanitarian situation in Angola was deteriorating.
The Council specifically called on UNITA to provide
relief agencies with access to the millions of
Angolans it said are living in desperate conditions.
(Signed)
NEB/BEL/JWH/KL
01-Sep-1999 07:59 AM EDT (01-Sep-1999 1159 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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