Angola

Last Updated: 31 October 2011

Mine Ban Policy

Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty

Mine Ban Treaty status

State Party

National implementation measures

Has not drafted new implementation measures

Transparency reporting

2010

Policy

The Republic of Angola signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified on 5 July 2002, becoming a State Party on 1 January 2003.

Angola has not formally reported any legal measures to implement the Mine Ban Treaty.[1] Under Article 13 of Angola’s Constitution, any international law approved and ratified by Angola is an integrated part of Angolan law and automatically enters into force at the national level after its publication and entry into force at the international level.[2]

Angola submitted its fifth annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report in October 2010, for the period from January 2009 to July 2010.[3] As of late August 2011, Angola had not yet submitted the annual report due by 30 April 2011, nor did it report on its activities in 2008. 

Angola hosted a National Mine Action Summit in Luanda on 9–10 August 2010. In August 2011, the Third National Meeting on Demining was held in Luanda.

Angola is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, use, stockpile destruction, and retention

Angola states that it has never manufactured antipersonnel mines.[4] It is not believed to have exported the weapon in the past. There have not been any confirmed instances of use of antipersonnel mines since Angola ratified the Mine Ban Treaty a decade ago.[5]

Angola completed destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines on 28 December 2006, just ahead of its 1 January 2007 treaty deadline. It destroyed 81,045 mines between October and December 2006, in addition to 7,072 antipersonnel mines apparently destroyed in 2003.[6]

In its last Article 7 report submitted in 2010, Angola reported retaining 2,512 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, the same number that was previously reported in 2007.[7] Angola has not provided an update on mines retained since 2007 or provided details on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained mines, as agreed by States Parties at review conferences held in 2004 and 2009.

 



[1] In its 2010 report, Angola stated, “Apart from the existing ordinary legislations in the country, no other legal measures were taken within the period under consideration.” Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period January 2009 to July 2010), Form A.

[2] A new constitution to replace the interim constitution (in effect since the country’s independence in 1975) was approved by the National Assembly of Angola on 21 January 2010 and promulgated by the President on 5 February 2010. The Constitution of Angola, Article 13 (“Direito Internacional”), states: “1. O direito internacional geral ou comum, recebido nos termos da presente Constituição, faz parte integrante da ordem jurídica angolana. 2. Os tratados e acordos internacionais regularmente aprovados ou ratificados vigoram na ordem jurídica angolana após a sua publicação oficial e entrada em vigor na ordem jurídica internacional e enquanto vincularem internacionalmente o Estado angolano” (“1. International law or policy, received pursuant to this Constitution, is an integral part of Angolan law. 2. International treaties and agreements regularly approved or ratified shall become Angolan law after its official publication and international legal entry into force”).

[3] Angola has submitted five Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 reports since 2004, in 2010 (for the period January 2009–July 2010), 2007 (April 2006–March 2007), 2006 (January 2005–March 2006), 2005 (January–December 2004), and 2004 (September 2003–April 2004).

[4] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period April 2006 to March 2007), Form E.

[5] There have been sporadic and unconfirmed reports of new use of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines since the end of the war, with allegations focused on criminal groups. The government acknowledged using antipersonnel mines while it was a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty, from December 1997 to April 2002, until it signed a peace agreement with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, UNITA). See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 121–122.

[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, pp. 141–143, for additional details.

[7] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for the period January 2009 to July 2010), Form D.


Last Updated: 12 August 2014

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Policy

The Republic of Angola signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008.

In September 2013, Angola informed States Parties that its ratification process “is already at a very advanced stage” and “being carefully carried out by all actors, due to the little knowledge the Angolan Authorities have on the dimension of the problem related to Cluster Bombs.”[1] At that time an official informed the CMC that the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Relations had completed preparation of the ratification package that will require cabinet and then parliamentary approval. He also said the government has established a special committee to tackle Angola’s backlog of treaty ratifications.[2]

Since 2009, Angolan officials have promised that the government will ratify soon, but there has been little measurable progress towards this objective.[3] Previously, in May 2013, a government representative informed the CMC that the question of ratification had been referred to the Ministry of Defence for further consideration.[4] In 2011, Angolan officials indicated that the ratification package was being prepared for submission to the Council of Ministers.[5] Angola participated extensively in the Oslo Process and, while it did not attend the formal negotiations in Dublin in May 2008, it signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo in December 2008.[6]

Despite the lack of ratification, Angola has continued to participate in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It has attended every Meeting of States Parties of the convention, including the Fourth Meeting of States Parties held in Lusaka, Zambia in September 2013. Angola has participated in all intersessional meetings of the convention held in Geneva, including in April 2014.[7] Angola attended a regional conference on universalization of the convention held in Lomé, Togo in May 2013, where it endorsed the Lomé Strategy on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions committing to take specific and concerted actions to ratify the convention at the earliest opportunity.[8]

In September 2013, Angola’s Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Manuel Augusto, told States Parties that the Convention on Cluster Munitions “represents a remarkable result of multilateralism in disarmament, based on a constructive cooperation between government and non-government actors and on the relationship between humanitarian and human rights.”[9]

Angola is not known to have condemned the Syrian government’s use of cluster munitions.

Angola is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, and use

Angola is not known to have produced or exported cluster munitions.

Cluster munitions were used in the past in Angola, but it is unclear when or by whom. An Intersectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (Comissão Nacional Intersectorial de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária, CNIDAH) official who had seen cluster munitions remnants in Huambo province near Caala and Bailundo, probably from the heavy fighting during 1998–1999, said he believed that the Angolan Armed Forces used cluster munitions because only they used aircraft during this conflict, not the rebel UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) forces.[10]

Stockpiling and destruction

The government has not made an official determination and public announcement that all stocks have been identified and destroyed.

In June 2010, a CNIDAH official said that Angola had destroyed its stockpile of cluster munitions between 2003 and 2010 in a joint initiative of the government and HALO Trust, and that the armed forces no longer held any stocks.[11] In addition, HALO’s weapons and ammunition disposal teams, which operate in all 18 provinces destroying weapons caches belonging to the police, army, navy, and air force, found and destroyed 51 abandoned explosive submunitions in military warehouses.[12] The location of these warehouses has not been reported.

In the past, Jane’s Information Group noted that KMGU dispensers that deploy submunitions were in service for Angolan aircraft.[13] Deminers operating in Angola have documented the presence of casings of RBK 250-275 cluster bombs among abandoned ammunition.[14] It is likely the KMGU and RBK were of Soviet origin.

Angola is also reported to possess BM-21 Grad and RM-70 122mm surface-to-surface rocket launchers, but it is not known if these include ammunition with submunition payloads.[15]

 



[1] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[2] CMC meeting with Mario Costa, Technical Advisor, CNIDAH, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[3] Statement of Angola, Accra Regional Conference on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, 28 May 2012.

[4] CMC meeting with Vezua B.D. De Paiva, Second Secretary, Ministry of External Relations of Angola, Lomé, 23 May 2013.

[5] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Second Meeting of States Parties, Beirut, 14 September 2011.

[6] For details on Angola’s policy and practice regarding cluster munitions through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), p. 29.

[7] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intesessional Meeting, Geneva, April 2014.

[8]Lomé Strategy on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” Lomé Regional Seminar on the Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lomé, Togo, 23 May 2013.

[9] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[10] Interview with Jorge Repouso Leonel Maria, Liaison Officer, CNIDAH, Huambo, 21 April 2010.

[11] CMC meetings with Maria Madalena Neto, Victim Assistance Coordinator, CNIDAH, International Conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Santiago, 7–9 June 2010. Notes by the CMC/Human Rights Watch. Maria Madalena Neto later confirmed this statement, noting that the air force headed up a task force responsible for the program. Email from Maria Madalena Neto, CNIDAH, 13 August 2010.

[12] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Helen Tirebuck, Programme Manager, HALO, 15 March 2011.

[13] Robert Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2004), p. 835.

[14] Landmine Action, “Note on Cluster Munitions in Angola,” 10 February 2004.

[15] International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2011 (London: Routledge, 2011), p. 410.


Last Updated: 09 October 2014

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

Overall Mine Action Performance: POOR[1]

Performance Indicator

Score

Problem understood

4

Target date for completion of clearance

4

Targeted clearance

5

Efficient clearance

5

National funding of program

6

Timely clearance

5

Land release system

6

National mine action standards

6

Reporting on progress

3

Improving performance

5

MINE ACTION PERFORMANCE SCORE

4.9

Mines

The problem of landmines in the Republic of Angola stems from 40 years of internal armed conflict that began in 1961 and ended in April 2002. A range of national and foreign armed movements and groups engaged in mine-laying that was sometimes planned but more often unruly.

Historically, the most affected provinces have been those with the fiercest and most prolonged fighting, such as Bié, Kuando Kubango, and Moxico, and therefore the largest number of mined areas were concentrated in those provinces.[2] However, almost every province is affected to some extent by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The precise extent of contamination is, though, still not well understood in most provinces.

Angola has reported widely differing datasets describing the extent of its mine problem owing to persistent difficulties in gathering and managing mine action data that remain unresolved, despite significant investment of time and resources over two decades.

Contaminated area as reported by CNIDAH in 2007–2014[3]

Date

Source

Area (km2)

As %age of landmass

2007

Landmine impact survey (LIS)

1,262

0.10

2010 (December)

CNIDAH Demining Project to Complete Article 5 Obligations

923

0.07

2011 (December)

Art 5 extension request

 793

0.06

2013 (December)

Presentation at 13 Meetings of States Parties

1,560

0.12

2014 (April)

Presentation at workshop in Luanda

 601

0.05

Note: CNIDAH = National Intersectorial Commission for Humanitarian Demining and Assistance (Comissão Nacional Intersectorial de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária)

Despite the fact that a national non-technical survey (NTS) is almost complete (now due to be finished before the end of 2014)[4] the extent of contamination nationwide is not sufficiently clear. This is, in part, attributable to lack of coordination between Angola’s two mine action management bodies and to the fact that the Executive Commission for Demining (Comissão Executiva de Desminagem, CED) still does not use a standardized format for reporting to CNIDAH,[5] which is responsible for coordinating mine action data. A mapping project described in Angola’s 2012 Article 5 deadline extension request, designed to represent geographically the results of the NTS and ongoing clearance activities, is intended to clarify contamination nationwide by 2016.[6]

As of April 2014, in the provinces of Bié, Huambo, and Kuando Kubango all suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) had been transformed into confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs), as a result of the survey methodology employed by the HALO Trust.[7] Half of all remaining contamination is in the provinces of Kuanza Sul, Kunene, and Moxico. In Bie and Kuando Kubango, much of the estimated contamination was canceled by NTS or by eliminating discrepancies in the national mine action database.[8] In certain other provinces (Bengo, Benguela, Kunene, Kwanza Norte, Kwanza Sul, and Uige), the number of CHAs has increased significantly.

Estimated contamination according to CNIDAH as of April 2014[9]

Province

SHAs

SHAs (m²)

CHAs

CHAs (m²)

Totals (m²)

Bengo

94

50,502,342

50

9,740,587

60,242,929

Benguela

0

0

147

8,386,909

8,386,909

Bié

1

Unknown

209

7,783,301

7,783,301

Cabinda

34

7,643,567

5

49,500

7,693,067

Huambo

0

0

55

2,538,020

2,538,020

Huíla

18

5,484,497

41

3,050,762

8,535,259

Kuando Kubango

0

0

316

46,810,405

46,810,405

Kunene

143

110,904,166

25

2,914,692

113,818,858

Kwanza Norte

9

1,637,367

45

9,215,668

10,853,035

Kwanza Sul

51

25,111,152

164

44,614,736

69,725,888

Luanda

1

500

1

818,603

819,103

Lunda Norte

54

14,388,288

3

760,000

15,148,288

Lunda Sul

136

51,034,299

18

6,710,490

57,744,789

Malanje

45

13,303,063

67

9,586,916

22,889,979

Moxico

364

112,851,938

83

7,770,753

120,622,691

Namibe

10

3,259,995

0

0

3,259,995

Uíge

54

24,238,116

51

5,998,890

30,237,006

Zaire

15

4,077,798

22

10,413,600

14,491,398

Total

1,029

424,437,088

1,302

177,163,832

601,600,920

CNIDAH reported 132 casualties from 2010 until the end of 2013, while the Monitor identified 234 casualties during the same period.

Cluster munitions contamination

The extent to which Angola continues to be affected by unexploded submunitions is unclear. Clearance operators have not found cluster submunitions in over five years. As of March 2013, only HALO had reported finding unexploded submunitions since February 2008.[10] In April 2011, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) reported that the impact of cluster munition remnants was “very low” in Kwanza Sul, Kwanza Norte, Malanje, Uige, and Zaire.[11] However, HALO and the National Institute for Demining (Instituto Nacional de Desminagem, INAD) claim that unexploded submunitions remain to be cleared in Kuando Kubango.[12]

Mine Action Program

Mine clearance began in Angola in 1994 during the UN Angola Verification Mission. International NGOs were the first major mine action operators in Angola, with HALO, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and NPA establishing mine action programs in Huambo, Moxico, and Malanje, respectively. Subsequently, four more international NGOs set up programs: People Against Landmines (Stiftung Menschen gegen Minen, MgM) in 1996, Santa Barbara in 1997, INTERSOS in 1999, and DanChurchAid (DCA), which started operations in Moxico province in 2005. INTERSOS closed its mine action program in Angola at the end of 2006 as did Santa Barbara two years later.

Since the initiation of mine action in the 1990s, a range of coordination and implementation bodies have been created at national level. In 2001, the President of Angola established CNIDAH, giving it responsibility for mine action policy development, planning, priority-setting, coordination, and management. In 2002, in order to separate coordination and operational responsibilities, the government of Angola created INAD as a public institute responsible for demining and training operations under the auspices of the Minister of Assistance and Social Reintegration. In December 2005, the CED was established to manage mine clearance by INAD, the Angolan Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Angolanas, FAA), and the National Reconstruction Office (Gabinete de Reconstrução Nacional, GRN).

International NGOs were the predominant demining operators until 2007, when INAD greatly expanded its operational capacities, and national commercial companies were formed with a view to benefiting from significant government funding for mine action through its infrastructure reconstruction projects.

From April 2002 until the end of 2011, UNDP supported capacity development of CNIDAH and later INAD, including through a Rapid Response Fund, to manage and coordinate mine action. UNDP has admitted that its support to CNIDAH was not very successful, especially with respect to database management.[13] No formal, independent evaluation of the whole program has ever been conducted.

A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS I), intended to serve as a national baseline of the extent of contamination, was conducted in 2005 with the Survey Action Center. The LIS delivered an inadequate picture of contamination and impact not only due to its inherent weaknesses but also because a number of areas were not accessible due to poor roads, as a result of resettlement of communities abandoned during the civil war, and owing to the fact that ongoing demining work and SHAs canceled by operators were not fully reflected in the CNIDAH database. The follow-up to the LIS is the “Survey and update of data concerning suspect hazardous areas,” commonly referred to as LIS II, which started in 2011 and was due to be completed before the end of 2014.[14]

The five international NGOs remaining in Angola today (DCA, HALO, MgM, MAG, and NPA) largely concentrate on provincial priorities based on the preliminary LIS II results while INAD and the FAA are tasked by the government to clear or verify areas prioritized by national development plans. A number of national commercial companies operate in Angola (Fragilp, Kubuila, OJK, PR&P, VDS, and Yola Comercial), which are accredited by and report to CNIDAH but are mostly employed by state or private companies to verify areas to be used for investment, whether or not they contain SHAs.[15]

Today, Angola has two mine action management structures. CNIDAH serves as the de facto national mine action center, reporting to the Council of Ministers (or in effect to the President of Angola).[16] Since 2002, CNIDAH has been responsible for coordinating mine action in Angola. It also accredits NGOs and commercial demining companies. CNIDAH’s 18 provincial operations offices (one in each province), under the vice-governor of the province, determine annual priorities based on priority tasks identified by the LIS, on provincial plans, and on requests from traditional leaders and other NGOs. The annual operating budget for CNIDAH in 2013 was more than US$16 million.[17]

The second mine action management body is the CED, established in 2005 to manage Angola’s national development plan. It includes mine clearance in areas where development projects are a priority. It is chaired by the Minister of Social Assistance and Reintegration (MINARS). The CED’s demining budget in 2013 was more than US$68 million,[18] some four times that of CNIDAH’s.

 There is ongoing tension between the two national authorities over who has the power to represent national demining efforts.[19] All operators under CED remain reluctant[20] to report to CNIDAH according to the agreed Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) format. Part of the problem is that CNIDAH is still only a temporary governmental body (a commission instead of an agency). Transforming it into an agency would strengthen CNIDAH’s position but the process has been consistently delayed by lack of presidential approval.[21]

The lack of cooperation between the two national entities is visible in poor coordination between developmental and humanitarian demining across Angola. Most developmental clearance targets roads, bridges, airports, electric towers, hydroelectric power plants, and land for major state agriculture projects and new industry investments (like cement factories), as well as for construction of new housing. In many cases, this demining is not undertaken on the basis of any known or suspected risk. Most humanitarian demining by NGOs and supported by international donors is determined by the results of LIS II and provincial priorities.

A workshop in April 2014 organized jointly by the government of Angola, CNIDAH, the European Union (EU), and the Mine Ban Treaty’s Implementation Support Unit (ISU) in support of the Cartagena Action Plan may prove to be a reconciliation milestone, with a recommendation approved by both entities whereby they are to “ensure that data is cross-checked between the CED and the national database housed in CNIDAH in order to ensure that areas prioritized for demining by the CED and which also appear within the national database of CNIDAH, are dealt with comprehensively with national standards and quality management by the CNIDAH.” Agreement was also secured to ensure that Angola has “a single credible source of information” and that the state will “speak with one voice” while “maintaining a separation of verification effort and efforts to fulfil the obligations under the Ottawa Convention.”[22]

Meanwhile, international funding is a challenge. In 2013, first MAG and then HALO had to reduce staff capacity due to funding constraints, though both hoped that personnel could be re-employed in 2014 with new European Commission funding.[23] The mechanical assets of international operators were not used to full capacity due to lack of funding, and some were immobilized for want of spare parts also said to be due to lack of financial resources.[24]

Management of mine action data

Persistent problems with mine action database management in Angola, as described in detail in Monitor reports over the years, remain a significant challenge. In 2013, efforts were again undertaken to improve data quality, one of which was to work together with HALO and NPA to verify all their entries in the CNIDAH database and eliminate errors while ensuring future entries are accurate.[25] However, discrepancies still exist. HALO, for example, has only 42 CHAs remaining in Huambo province in its own database while CNIDAH reports 55.[26]

An international assessor financed by UNDP and CNIDAH spent two months strengthening the skills of database staff with the result that 300 discrepancies between NGO data and the CNIDAH database were eliminated. Other common problems were: new areas not in the CNIDAH database; discredited areas not entered in the CNIDAH database; completion reports not processed; reports missing; overlapping mined area reports; and treatment of a completion report of a road task as if it were a mined area.[27] Unfortunately, the work started by the assessor was not continued by CNIDAH staff after the end of his assignment and the data was never cross-checked with DCA.[28] Moreover, the result of agreement between NPA and CNIDAH during the consultancy about reduction of the number of SHAs in Kwanza Norte, Uige, Zaire, and Malanje totaling around 58km2 still is not reflected in the database.[29]

Another critical challenge for mine action information management remains the failure of CED operators to report to CNIDAH in the IMSMA format.[30]

Strategic planning

The latest strategic plans presented by CNIDAH place high hopes in the mapping project that is intended to give an accurate picture of all mined and demined areas of Angola and solve all the database problems.[31]

 The latest version of Angola’s strategic mine action plan covers 2013–2017. It is not known whether the plan has yet been approved by the Council of Ministers. The main goals of the plan are to:

·         Ensure timely implementation of Angola’s Article 5 survey and clearance obligations;

·         Reduce the risk of mine/ERW incidents;

·         Strengthen institutional and inter-institutional capacity and improve the sustainability of the national mine action program.[32]

Land Release

Every year, Angola makes considerable progress in reducing contamination; however, the various problems with the national database described above, including the different reporting formats between CNIDAH and CED, make it impossible to describe in detail, and with any degree of accuracy, land released since the beginning of mine action in the country.

Demining operators in Angola include DCA (in Moxico), HALO (in Benguela, Bie, Huambo, and Kuando Kubango), MAG (in Moxico), MgM (in Malange), NPA (in Malange and Zair), while the four CED operators—FAA, the Military Office of the President (CMPR),[33] INAD, and the Police Border Guard of Angola (Polícia de Guarda Fronteiras de Angola, PGFA)—work collectively in all 18 provinces.

International NGO clearance in 2013

The five NGO operators cleared a total of almost 3.8km2 in 2013, slightly less than in each of the two previous years. This is largely ascribed to decreased capacity resulting from reduced funding.[34]

NGO mine clearance in 2013[35]

Operator

Areas cleared

CHA (m2)

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

HALO

43

1,987,152

3,427

831

NPA

7

1,007,798

196

17

DCA

0

429,076

1

0

MAG

2

239,843

196

11

MgM

5

135,326

0

2

Total

57

3,799,195

3,820

861

Commercial companies and local NGO clearance in 2013

CNIDAH reported an enormous decrease of demining in 2013 in relation to 2012: from 35km2 to only 3.7km2. The dramatic decline was in demining by national NGOs and commercial companies.[36] CED reported demining of 272,041m2 by the local NGO APACOMINAS, while the various commercial companies together conducted demining over a reported 5.78km2 and 159km of seismic lines (areas for seismic search for oil onshore).[37] CED reported destruction in 2013 of 2,920 antipersonnel mines, 157 antivehicle mines, and 106,036 items of UXO. Demining included almost 554km of electrical towers installations, almost 1,900km of roads, and a further 162km of seismic lines.[38] CED, INAD, and FAA do not use international land release standards, often employing clearance resources on land that is not mined.[39]

Survey in 2013

Between 2012 and April 2014, 192km2 was either cancelled by NTS or released by technical survey (TS) or removed from the national database by eliminating data discrepancies between CNIDAH and other operators.[40]

NPA in 2013 cancelled 61 SHAs equal to 29km2 and, in identifying 10 CHAs, reduced the area of contamination from 2.96km2 to 1.16km2.[41] HALO released 23 areas, canceling by NTS a total area of 0.37km2 and reducing by TS a further 0.26km2. HALO also introduced in Huambo province the Mine Free District Methodology, whereby in all 11 municipalities representatives from 1,541 communities signed survey forms agreeing that no further minefields exist other than the 42 already identified and recorded on the national database.[42] MAG reduced 5,770m2 by TS in 2013.

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated area[43]

Since 1994, only a very few cluster bomb strikes have been identified by HALO, which has therefore concluded that the impact of submunitions is minimal in Angola. Clearing submunitions has been mainly explosive ordnance disposal call-out/spot tasks.

More typical is the destruction of old or unserviceable cluster munitions identified by HALO’s Weapons and Ammunition Disposal (WAD) teams in military storage areas, some of which have already been earmarked for subsequent disposal by the FAA. Since 2005, HALO WAD teams have destroyed a total of 7,284 submunitions, including 12 in 2012.[44]

Article 5 Compliance

In accordance with a five-year extension granted by States Parties in 2012, Angola’s Article 5 deadline is 1 January 2018.

Angola is already behind on activities planned for the extension period. The NTS due to finish in 2013 is now predicted to end in 2014 or even at the beginning of 2015.[45] The mapping project was supposed to start in 2013 and had not started as of May 2014 (although preparations have been undertaken, including securing an agreement with the state oil company Sonangol for financing the project).[46]

At the end of the current extension period, Angola plans to submit another extension request based on results of surveys and clearance, but has already predicted needing more than 10 years beyond 2018.[47]

Support for Mine Action

Angola has traditionally been one of the largest recipients of international mine action funding. In 2009–2013, it received a total of US$98 million, an average of almost $20 million per year. In 2013, Angola received $10 million towards clearance activities, of which the US provided 60%.[48]

The EU is also a major donor in Angola. In 2010, the EU awarded five international NGOs and one French commercial company €20 million ($26.5 million) for 2010–2012.[49] In 2013, the EU office in Angola announced it would provide another €20 million ($25 million) for mine action in 2013–2017.[50] As of May 2014, no contracts had been issued under this funding.[51]

The government of Angola contributed $215 million to mine action in 2009–2013, more than 75% of its total mine action budget, and an average of $63 million per year. In 2013, the government contributed AOA1.6 billion (US$16.6 million) to CNIDAH while national funding totaling AOA9.5 billion ($98.8 million) was provided to the CED. Total national funding for mine action was AOA11.1billion ($115.4 million).[52]

Recommendations

·         Angola should finally ensure that the CNIDAH mine action database becomes truly national and is able to serve as a reliable source of information for future planning.

·         Angola should assign more assets to clearing CHAs by either funding NGOs through Angola’s national budget or moving CED demining teams to help the country meet its Article 5 obligations.

·         Angola should strengthen the capacity and management of quality control teams so that certified land can be promptly turned over to communities for use. Quality control should include all areas cleared by international NGOs, the CED, and commercial companies.

 



[1] See “Mine Action Program Performance” for more information on performance indicators.

[2] Survey Action Center, “Landmine Impact Survey, Republic of Angola, Final Report,” Washington, DC, November 2007, p. 7.

[3] Ibid.; Intersectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH), “Demining Project to Complete Article 5 Obligations,” December 2010; Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 30 March 2012; statement of Angola, Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, Geneva, 3 December 2013; and “Plano Cartagena v. Art. 5,” Document presented during national workshop organized by the Government of Angola, CNIDAH, the European Union, and the Implementation Support Unit in support of Cartagena Action Plan in April 2014, provided by email on 6 May 2014 by Joaquim Merca, Assessor of the President of CNIDAH.

[4] Email from Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 12 May 2014.

[5] Interview with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[7] Email from Gerhard Zank, Program Manager, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014.

[8] “Plano Cartagena v. Art 5,” provided in email by Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 6 May 2014.

[9] Data compiled based on the presentation “Plano Cartagena v. Art 5.”

[10] Responses to Monitor questionnaire by Ken O’Connell, Project Director, People Against Landmines (Stiftung Menschen gegen Minen, MgM), 15 March 2013; by Tony Fernandes, Technical Operations Manager, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), 5 March 2013; by Anthony Connell, Program Manager, Danish Church Aid (DCA), 12 March 2013; by Fredrik Holmegaard, NPA, 19 March May 2013; and by Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 19 March 2013.

[11] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Aubrey Sutherland, Programme Manager, NPA, 1 March 2011.

[12] Interviews with Jose Antonio, Site Manager, Kuando Kubango, HALO Trust; and with Coxe Sucama, Director, INAD, in Menongue, 24 June 2011.

[13] Interview with Susete Fereira, UNDP, Luanda, 14 June 2011.

[14] Email from Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 12 May 2014.

[15] Ibid., 7 May 2014.

[16] Presidential Decree No. 54/2001.

[17] Ministry of Finance, Dotacao Orcamental por Orgao (Angola National Budget 2013), Luanda, 22 February 2013.

[18] CED, “Relatorio Annual 2013” (“Annual Report 2013”), Luanda, undated.

[19] Interviews with Pedro Toco, UNDP Database Assistant to CNIDAH, Luanda, 20 April 2010; with Leonardo Seferino Sapalo, Head, INAD, and CED Member, Luanda, 17 June 2011; with Susete Fereira, UNDP, Luanda, 14 June 2011; with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014; and with Narciso Paulo S. Tiacafe. Operations Officer, CNIDAH, Luanda, 16 April 2010; and CNIDAH “Plano Estrategico de Sector de Accao contra Minas 2013–2017,” Luanda, undated, p. 30.

[20] Interviews with Leonardo Seferino Sapalo, INAD, Luanda, 17 June 2011; with Susete Fereira, UNDP, Luanda, 14 June 2011; and with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[21] Interview with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[22] “Workshop conclusions and recommendations,” presented at the end of national workshop organized by the Government of Angola, CNIDAH, EU, and the ISU in support of Cartagena Action Plan in April 2014.

[23] Emails from Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014; and from Jessica Riordan, Country Director, MAG Angola, 4 April 2014.

[24]Emails from Anthony Connell, Programme Manager, DCA Angola, 24 April 2014; and from Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014.

[25] Charles Downs, “CNIDAH Mission Report,” Survey Action Center, May 2013.

[26] Email from Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014; and “Plano Cartagena v. Art. 5,” provided in email by Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 6 May 2014.

[27] Charles Downs, “CNIDAH Mission Report,” Survey Action Center, May 2013.

[28] Email from Anthony Connell, DCA Angola, 24 April 2014.

[29] Email from Fredrik Holmegaard, Operations Manager, NPA Angola, 23 May 2014.

[30] Interview with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[31] Ibid.

[32] CNIDAH, “Plano Estratégico do Sector de Acção contra Minas 2013–2017,” Luanda, undated.

[33] CMPR’s general mission is national security and demining is included in this.

[34] Emails from Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014; from Anthony Connell, DCA Angola, 24 April 2014; from Jessica Riordan, MAG Angola, 4 April 2014; and from Kenneth Andrew O’Connell, Country Manager, MgM Angola, 5 May 2014.

[35] Emails from Gerhard Zank, HALO Trust, 5 May 2014; from Fredrik Holmegaard, NPA Angola, 3 March 2014; from Anthony Connell, DCA Angola, 24 April 2014; from Jessica Riordan, MAG Angola, 4 April 2014; and from Kenneth Andrew O’Connell, MgM Angola, 5 May 2014.

[36] Email from Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 7 May 2014.

[37] CED, “Annual Report 2013,” Luanda, undated.

[38] Calculations based on CED, “Annual Report 2013,” Luanda, undated.

[39] Interview with Leonardo Seferino Sapalo, INAD, Luanda, 20 April 2010.

[40] Presentation “Plano Cartagena v. Art 5,” provided in email by Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 6 May 2014.

[41] NPA presentation to national workshop of April 2014; and email from Fredrik Holmegaard, NPA Angola, 3 March 2014.

[42] Email from Gerhard Zank, HALO, 5 May 2014.

[43] “HALO Trust WAD Angola Monthly Report Consolidated Statistics: May 2011,” provided to the Monitor in Angola, June 2011; and response to Monitor questionnaire from Gerhard Zank, HALO, 8 April 2012.

[44] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Gerhard Zank, HALO, 19 March 2013.

[45] Email from Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, 12 May 2014.

[46] Interview with Joaquim Merca, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[47] Statement of Angola, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Geneva, 23 May 2012.

[48] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Anna Merrifield, Desk Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 April 2014; emails from Ingunn Vatne, Senior Advisor, Section for Humanitarian Affairs, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 April 2014; and from Lisa D. Miller, Public Engagement and Partnerships, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State, 9 April 2014; Belgium, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2014; and Japan, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2014.

[49] Information provided by Maria Cruz Cristobal, Mine Action Desk, Security Policy Unit, Directorate-General for External Relations, EU, through David Spence, Minister Counselor, Delegation of the EU to the UN in Geneva, 20 June 2011.

[50] CNIDAH, “External Fundraising Strategy 2013–2017,” paper presented at side event “Angola’s resource mobilization strategy,” during Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, 27–31 May 2013.

[51] Email from Jérôme Legrand, Policy Officer, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Conventional Weapons and Space Division, European External Action Service, 8 May 2014.

[52] 2013 Angola National Budget. Angola average exchange rate for 2013: AOA95.7140=US$1. Oanda.com.


Last Updated: 24 November 2014

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Action points based on findings

·         Increase opportunities for mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors to be involved in the planning and coordination of victim assistance.

·         Ensure that initial steps to dedicate government resources for physical rehabilitation are sustained and increased in future years to ensure the availability of these services throughout the country.

·         Support the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified in May 2014, including through the rapid establishment of the national council for persons with disabilities.

Victim assistance commitments

The Republic of Angola is responsible for a significant number of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other ERW who are in need. Angola has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty.

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2013

Unknown; many thousands

Casualties in 2013

71 (2012: 34)

2013 casualties by outcome

16 killed; 52 injured; 3 unknown (2012: 9 killed; 25 injured)

2013 casualties by explosive type

23 antipersonnel mines; 25 antivehicle mines; 11 ERW; 12 unknown explosive devices

Details and trends

In 2013, the Monitor identified 71 mine and ERW casualties in Angola.[1] The vast majority of casualties (93%, 64 of 69) were civilians; there were also three casualties among security forces and two deminer casualties.[2]

Many of the casualties identified lacked demographic details, such as sex and age, making it difficult to determine with certainty the demographic characteristics of 2013 casualties.[3] However, among those civilian casualties for which the age was known, half were children (19 of 38). All of the child casualties for which the sex was known were boys.[4] The adult casualties included five women, all from different incidents with antipersonnel mines and two victim-activated explosive devices of unknown type.[5]

There was a total of 24 incidents reported in 2013, occurring in 12 of Angola’s 18 provinces. This is similar in distribution to the geographic spread of casualties reported in 2011, when there were incidents in 14 provinces. However, in 2012 casualties were reported in just four provinces, representing a significant anomaly compared with other recent data. That together with the difference in casualties recorded could indicate a lack of casualty reporting from some provinces in 2012.[6]

The 71 mine/ERW casualties identified in 2013 were more than double the 34 mine/ERW casualties identified in 2012. However, it was similar to the total of 89 casualties reported in 2011.[7] Given the lack of a reliable collection mechanism for casualty data and the fluctuating annual casualty totals, it is not possible to accurately determine trends over time. However, in evaluating its Strategic Mine Action Plan 2006–2011, the Inter-Sectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH) found that there had been a decline in the overall number of mine/ERW incidents recorded annually during the five-year period, but that the decline was not linear and did not reach the plan’s goal of reducing the number of incidents to “almost zero.”[8]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Angola is unknown, though estimates range from 23,000[9] to 80,000.[10] No details were available to substantiate these figures. By the end of 2013, 6,048 survivors had been registered in the provinces of Cabinda, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Malanje, Namibe, and Zaire as part of the national mine/ERW victim survey.[11] Between 2000 and 2013, the Monitor identified 2,928 mine/ERW casualties, including 966 people killed, 1,814 injured, and 148 for which the outcome was unknown.[12] Between 2006 and 2011, CNIDAH registered 433 mine/ERW casualties, including 77 people killed and 356 injured.[13]

Cluster munition casualties

As of December 2013, the national victim survey had identified at least 354 cluster munition survivors, all in the province of Huambo.[14] This is the first available data from Angola with confirmed casualties from cluster munitions. Huambo is the only province of the seven surveyed through the end of 2013 where cluster munition victims have been identified.[15] The survey questionnaire developed in 2011 offered just three options as the cause of disability: “a mine,” “an accident,” or “unknown” with no option to report on cluster submunitions as the cause.[16] It was not reported if the questionnaire had been revised for use in Huambo province.

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors in Angola is unknown, but there are many thousands. As of December 2013, 6,048 survivors had been identified in the first seven (of 18) provinces surveyed as part of the national victim survey.[17]

Victim assistance since 1999[18]

In 1999, Angola was still in the midst of a series of armed conflicts that did not end until 2002. These conflicts contributed to the destruction or deterioration of infrastructure such as health centers, hospitals, and roads. While several international organizations provided basic services such as emergency medical care and physical rehabilitation, overall care was grossly inadequate throughout the country.

In 2002, it was estimated that fewer than 30% of Angolans had access to any healthcare services, with lower percentages in rural areas where most survivors lived. With the stabilization of the security situation, the government and international community began investing in rebuilding the healthcare system and other basic infrastructure, increasing access to basic medical facilities. A government project, begun in 2012, facilitated emergency medical transport to hospitals in collaboration with the police and the fire department.

In 2005, international organizations began closing their programs and transferring management of healthcare facilities and rehabilitation centers to the government. The departure of Handicap International (HI) by the end of 2011 completed the withdrawal of international organizations that had been providing support for victim assistance. Already by 2008, all 11 physical rehabilitation centers were managed by the Ministry of Health. However, by 2009 production of prosthetics in all centers had declined due to a lack of materials and unpaid staff salaries. This decline continued until mid-2013 when the national mine action center began efforts to improve the quality of services in five provinces, funded by the Ministry of Health’s National Rehabilitation Program.

A limited number of economic inclusion projects have been available to survivors over the period, either through international organizations, national and local organizations of persons with disabilities, or government agencies such as the Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration (MINARS) and the national mine action center (CNIDAH), which began coordinating and facilitating victim assistance in 2001. These projects have fallen far short of the overall need.

International organizations supported the development of local survivor networks and disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs). However, these groups were hamstrung by lack of funding and the distances between them that prevented collaboration among the groups. Through the Comprehensive National Victim Assistance Action Plan 2007–2011, CNIDAH aimed to support the development of a national survivor network, but no progress was made toward this objective within the timeframe of the plan due to insufficient funding and organizational problems.

Victim assistance in 2013

The Presidential Physical Rehabilitation Program was launched to improve the availability of physical rehabilitation services through the provision of materials to rehabilitation centers and by improving the national referral system. Steps were also taken to improve emergency response times following mine/ERW incidents. The national mine/ERW survivor survey continued with nearly half of the country completed; CNIDAH recognized the need to increase financial resources to survey activities in order to complete the remaining provinces within the planned time period.

Assessing victim assistance needs

As of the end of 2013, mine/ERW survivors with disabilities in seven of Angola’s 18 provinces had been surveyed as part of the National Victim Survey and Needs Assessment. The survey was launched in October 2010 with the purpose of identifying and registering mine and cluster munition survivors with disabilities, to understand their living situation, and to determine how to promote their socio-economic inclusion.[19]

After having been suspended in 2012 due to funding constraints and to avoid the potential confusion of those surveyed with the national election registration process, it resumed in 2013. By the end of 2013, the survey was completed in Cabinda, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Malanje, Namibe, and Zaire and a total of 6,048 survivors with a disability had been registered in these seven provinces which cover an estimated 40% of Angola’s land area.[20] As of the end of 2013, CNIDAH and MINARS found the results of the ongoing survey and needs assessment to be beneficial for planning and determining priorities to assist the target population.[21] In provinces where the survey was conducted, local CNIDAH offices were trained to assist with the data collection and serve as focal points for ongoing casualty data collection.[22]

Poor conditions of the roads and heavy rains created challenges for survey implementers to access rural and remote areas, where most survivors live. A lack of funding to keep the survey working consistently also led to long interruptions in data collection. CNIDAH determined that, consequently, the survey had completed fewer than two provinces per year on average between 2008 and 2013, well behind the original timeline for completion. Therefore, in order that surveys could be carried out in the remaining provinces simultaneously and speed up completion, CNIDAH recommended that more funds be dedicated to the project.[23]

CNIDAH also reported progress in the development of accident surveillance mechanisms working with provincial hospitals, communal and municipal administrations, traditional leaders, and operators working in the field.[24]

Victim assistance coordination[25]

Government coordinating body/focal point

CNIDAH

Coordinating mechanism

CNIDAH’s Sub-Commission for Assistance and Reintegration with participation from relevant government ministries including MINARS, the Ministry of Health, and NGOs

Plan

Comprehensive National Victim Assistance Action Plan 2013–2017 (PNIAVM) drafted; approval pending June 2014

CNIDAH’s victim assistance coordination efforts in 2013 were focused on the ongoing implementation of the National Victim Survey, raising awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities, revitalizing physical rehabilitation centers throughout the country, and contributing to the development of the CNIDAH National Strategic Mine Action Plan 2013–2017 and the concurrent PNIAVM for 2013–2017.[26] By April 2013, the PNIAVM 2013–2017 was “successfully completed and the assistance sector now has an updated plan in accordance with CNIDAH Strategic Plan.”[27] As of June 2014, official approval of the plan was pending but the plan was already in use by CNIDAH and its partners.[28]

To monitor the implementation of the PNIAVM, in 2013, CNIDAH held national meetings of the Sub-Commission for Assistance and Reintegration. The meetings provided opportunities for focal points from relevant government ministries, service providers, and representatives of DPOs to share information about ongoing activities.[29] Provincial mine action workshops in Huambo and Malange also included discussions on victim assistance.[30]

CNIDAH also held meetings with the Cuban Embassy in Angola and a Cuban agency to explore possibilities for cooperation to assist Angola’s mine/ERW victims.

In 2013, Angola also developed the National Plan of Integrated Action on Disability 2013–2017 as part of Angola’s national development plan “Angola 2025.” The disability plan includes the objective of establishing a national council for persons with disabilities, designed to raise the profile of disability issues within the executive branch of the government and to improve coordination on disability issues among all government ministries.[31]

In 2013, Angola provided an update on victim assistance activities in a statement at the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in December 2013 and through Form J of the Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report.[32] Angola also reported on victim assistance activities and relevant advances in the area of disability laws, policies, and programs at the Third Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in Maputo in June 2014.[33]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

Survivor associations and DPOs participated in national and provincial coordination meetings convened by CNIDAH as part of the Sub-Committee for Social Support and Reintegration. CNIDAH reported that landmine victims were involved in the coordination of the mine/ERW victim survey and in awareness-raising activities.[34] However, local participation, particularly by survivors and other persons with disabilities, appeared to be severely lacking in the implementation of the mine/ERW victim survey.[35] In 2013, no organizations working with survivors or with people with disabilities were involved in the survey; just one local NGO assisted in the data collection.[36]

Associations of victims of armed conflict and organizations of persons with disabilities were involved in the implementation of vocational training and income-generating projects, the distribution of mobility devices and in providing transportation and referrals so that mine/ERW victims could access other services.[37]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[38]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2013

MINARS

Government

Referrals for mobility devices, vocational training, and assistance to start income-generating projects

Ongoing; created 12 taxi-cooperatives targeting mine survivors in Lunda Norte

Ministry of Health

Government

Free emergency medical care for mine/ERW survivors

Ongoing

National Rehabilitation Program (within Ministry of Health)

Government

Coordination and supply of materials to 11 national Physical Rehabilitation centers

Three centers were producing prosthetics: Negage, Viana, and Bié

Angola Red Cross (Cruz Vermelha de Angola, CVA)

National organization

Transportation and referrals to victim assistance services

Ongoing; no update

 

Angolan Association of Disabled Former Military (AMMIGA)

National NGO

Support for socio-economic reintegration; advocacy for disability rights

Vocational training in Kuanza Norte

Association of Disabled Victims of Mines of War of Angola (AMVMGA)

National NGO

Primary education and vocational training

Ongoing

Lwini Foundation

National NGO

Support for mobility devices and referrals for Rehabilitation Center

Ongoing; distribution of mobility devices in five provinces

Angolan Association of Disabled Persons (Associação dos Deficientes de Angola, ANDA)

National NGO

Physical rehabilitation, professional training for persons with disabilities, transportation to access services; advocacy- coordinating a network of NGOs doing advocacy for disability rights

Began literacy training program; collaborated with Lwini Foundation in distribution of mobility devices

Center for the Promotion and Development of Communities (CAPDC)

National NGO

Transportation to access victim assistance services

Housing assistance and improvements program in Moxico

 

Podemos

National NGO

Capacity-building in community-based rehabilitation; formed to take over HI program after its closure

No information available for 2013 following a severe reduction in activities in 2012 due to lack of funding and staffing levels

Emergency and ongoing medical care

In recent years, the government increased its expenditure on the national healthcare system, increasing the number of health centers in rural areas, improving accessibility to health services, and increasing the availability of medicine. While it was likely that this would have improved basic healthcare services for mine/ERW survivors along with the rest of the population, there was no information available on the impact of these changes.[39]

In 2013 and into 2014, the government announced progress in reconstructing roads to aid in the emergency evacuation of mine/ERW survivors and others in need of emergency medical care; it also announced the construction of health facilities, the decentralization of specialized services, and an increase in highly trained medical professionals.[40]

Physical rehabilitation

Following several years of declining prosthetics production in Angola’s 11 rehabilitation centers, in May 2013 a new physical rehabilitation project was initiated to improve the quality of services in five provinces, funded by the National Rehabilitation Program. Referred to as the Presidential Plan for Physical Rehabilitation, project activities include re-establishing physical therapy units in hospitals to meet basic needs, referral systems to the rehabilitation centers for more complex cases, as well as training for orthopedic technicians and the provision of new equipment for manufacturing of orthopedic devices.[41] In the first phase of the project, three rehabilitation centers in Negage, Viana, and Bié received materials for the production of prosthetics and orthotics.[42] In addition, basic physiotherapy and rehabilitation services were introduced in several referral hospitals.[43]

Various associations of persons disabled by armed conflict and DPOs also distributed different mobility devices, such as wheelchairs, crutches, and other aids, from which mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities benefited.[44]

Psychological support

No advances where identified in the availability of psychological support in 2013. In 2012, CNIDAH recruited a psychologist who coordinated meetings with partner organizations to develop a strategic plan to establish services.[45] As in previous years, some DPOs and survivor associations provided peer support services.[46] The ongoing national victim survey did not include any questions regarding access to, or need for, psychological support.[47]

Economic and social inclusion

Few changes were identified in the availability or access to economic inclusion activities in 2013. Government policies were revised to make it easier to establish small businesses.[48]

Angola’s National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (INEFOP) included mine/ERW survivors in training courses in the provinces of Moxico and Kuanza Norte. MINARS continued to support some income-generating opportunities for mine/ERW survivors, among other persons with disabilities, including the establishment of transportation cooperatives in Lunda Norte and Kuanza Norte. Associations of armed conflict victims and organizations for persons with disabilities also supported access to training courses and income-generating projects for a small number of mine/ERW survivors.[49]

Angola’s “Work and Education Program” has a dual purpose to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in small development cooperatives and to advance community development. The program has employed thousands of persons with disabilities since 2010 but no information was available on how many mine/ERW survivors have been included.[50]

In Bie province, there were increased opportunities for mine/ERW survivors in sporting activities adapted for persons with disabilities.[51]

Laws and policies

In 2013, the Protection Law for Persons with Disabilities (2012) lacked enforcement and discrimination against persons with disabilities remained prevalent.[52] As of June 2014, legislation on physical accessibility had been drafted and was awaiting approval to become law.[53]

Angola ratified the CRPD on 19 May 2014.

 



[1] Emails from Jessica Riordan, Country Director, Mines Advisory Group Angola, 7 April 2014; from Annette Lüdeking, Programme Coordinator, DanChurchAid, 27 March 2014; from Gerhard Zank, Programme Manager, HALO Trust Angola, 17 March 2014; and from Fredrik Holmegaard, Operations Manager, Norwegian People’s Aid Angola, 28 February 2014; Comissão Executiva de Desminagem (Executive Demining Commission, CED), “Relatorio anual - 2013” (“Annual Report - 2013”), Luanda, undated but 2014, p. 37; Inter-Sectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH) database, data provided by Joaquim Merca, Advisor of the President, CNIDAH in Geneva, 10 April 2014.

[2] The civil status of two casualties was unknown. The two deminer casualties in 2013 are in line with the two deminer casualties reported in 2012.

[3] For 30 of the casualties identified, neither age nor sex was reported. However, other details such as the location, date, and device type were sufficient for data verification.

[4] The sex of three child casualties was unknown.

[5] The remaining 17 adult casualties were all men.

[6] See previous editions of Angola’s profile on the Monitor website.

[7] Ibid.

[8] CNIDAH, “Relatório de Avaliação do Plano Estratégico de Acção contra Minas 2006–2011” (“Report of the Evaluation of the Strategic Mine Action Plan 2006–2011”), Luanda, undated but 2012, p. 10.

[9] This estimate was reported in the media. See “Angola to stage ‘Miss Landmine Survivor’ pageant,” Agence France-Presse (Luanda), 26 March 2008.

[10] Angola has stated this figure on several occasions. For example, see statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 20 September 2006. It has also been reported on numerous occasions by the United States (US) Department of State, most recently at: US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Angola,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.

[11] There were 11 provinces still to be surveyed as of the end of 2013. CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014; emails from Nsimba Paxe, Victim Assistance Specialist, CNIDAH, Luanda, 3 April 2013, and 7 June 2013; and CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades de 2011” (“Annual Activity Report 2011”), Luanda, March 2012, p. 13.

[12] See previous editions of Angola’s profile on the Monitor website.

[13] CNIDAH, “Relatório de Avaliação do Plano Estratégico de Acção contra Minas 2006–2011” (“Report of the Evaluation of the Strategic Mine Action Plan 2006–2011”), Luanda, undated but 2012, p. 44.

[14] Email from Nsimba Paxe, CNIDAH, Luanda, 3 April 2013. Angola also reported identifying 1,497 cluster munition survivors in Huambo province through the same survey. Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meeting, Geneva, 31 May 2013.

[15] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014; and CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades de 2011” (“Annual Activity Report 2011”), Luanda, March 2012, p. 13.

[16] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meeting, Session on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 28 June 2011. Questionnaire for national victim survey provided by Maria Madalena Neto, Victim Assistance Coordinator, CNIDAH, Luanda, 16 June 2011.

[17] In its annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Angola reported a total of 6,246 survivors identified through the national survey. However, the sum of figures per province reported is 6,229. Neither figure matches the total in the survey report from January 2014. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (calendar year 2013), Form J; and CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014.

[18] See previous editions of Angola’s profile on the Monitor website; and CNIDAH, “Relatório de Avaliação do Plano Estratégico de Acção contra Minas 2006–2011” (“Report of the Evaluation of the Strategic Mine Action Plan 2006–2011”), Luanda, undated but 2012.

[19] Statement of Angola, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meeting, Session on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 28 June 2011.

[20] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014; emails from Nsimba Paxe, CNIDAH, Luanda, 3 April 2013, and 7 June 2013; and CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades de 2011” (“Annual Activity Report 2011”), Luanda, March 2012, p. 13.

[21] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014, p. 11.

[22] Interview with Madalena Neto, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 28 May 2013.

[23] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014, p. 11.

[24] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[25] Ibid.

[26] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014.

[28] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[29] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual do ‘Projecto Nacional de Recolha e Actualização de Dados sobre as Pessoas com deficiência Vítima de Minas’ – 2013” (“Annual Report of ‘National Project to Collect and Update Data regarding Persons with Disabilities, Mine Victims’ – 2013”), Luanda, 14 January 2014.

[30] Ibid., p. 2.

[31] Statement of Angola, Seventh Conference of States Parties, CRPD, New York, 10 June 2014.

[32] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 4 December 2013; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (calendar year 2013), Form J.

[33] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[34] Ibid.

[35] The provincial MINARS in Huila was not consulted in 2011. Also, of nine DPOs and survivor associations interviewed during Monitor research mission in Lubango, Huila, 22 June 2011, only one organization was consulted, the Persons with Disabilities and War Wounded. Interviews with several local survivor associations and DPOs; and interview with Fabiano Tubias Hilaka, Chief of Department of Assistance and Social Reintegration and Acting Provincial Director (MINARS), Lubango, Huila, 22 June 2011.

[36] Interview with Madalena Neto, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 28 May 2013.

[37] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013.

[38] Ibid.; statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014; Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (calendar year 2013), Form J; and email from Celestino Sorte Feliciano, Podemos, 21 March 2013.

[39] CNIDAH, “Relatório de Avaliação do Plano Estratégico de Acção contra Minas 2006–2011” (“Report of the Evaluation of the Strategic Mine Action Plan 2006–2011”), Luanda, undated but 2012, pp. 14–15.

[40] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[41] Interview with Maria Madalena Neto, CNIDAH, in Geneva, 28 May 2013.

[42] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013.

[43] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[44] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013.

[46] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013.

[47] Questionnaire for national victim survey provided by Maria Madalena Neto, CNIDAH, Luanda, 16 June 2011.

[48] Statement of Angola, Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference, Maputo, 24 June 2014.

[49] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form J.

[50] Statement of Angola, Seventh Conference of States Parties, CRPD, New York, 10 June 2014.

[51] CNIDAH, “Relatório Anual de Actividades da AVM/2013” (“Report of Annual Mine Victim Assistance Activities/ 2013”), Luanda, 30 December 2013.

[52] US Department of State, “2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Angola,” Washington, DC, 27 February 2014.

[53] Statement of Angola, Seventh Conference of States Parties, CRPD, New York, 10 June 2014.


Last Updated: 22 November 2013

Support for Mine Action

The Republic of Angola has been one of the largest recipients of international mine action funding. In 2008–2012, it received a total of US$110 million, or an average of more than $22 million per year. In 2012, Angola received $13.7 million of which the United States (US) provided 63%.[1]

The European Union (EU) is also a major donor in Angola. In 2010, the EU awarded five international NGOs and one French commercial company €20 million ($26.5 million) for 2010–2012.[2] In 2013, the EU office in Angola announced it would provide another €20 million ($25 million) for mine action from 2013–2017.[3]

The government of Angola has contributed $230 million to mine action since 2008, an average of $46 million per year. In 2012, it contributed $76.7 million resulting in a $90 million overall budget, a level similar to the mine action program in Afghanistan.[4] National funding supports the Inter-sectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (Comissão Nacional Intersectorial de Desminagem e Assistência Humanitária, CNIDAH), with funding going to coordination (salaries), quality control, and provincial offices. In 2012, the CNIDAH budget was approximately $14 million or 20% of national funding. The remaining 80% of the $76.7 million went to the Executive Commission for Demining (Comissão Executiva de Desminagem, CED), which was established in 2005 to fund development projects and provide financial support to the demining operations of the Angolan Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Angolanas), the National Reconstruction Office (Gabinete de Reconstrução Nacional), and the National Demining Institute (Instituto Nacional de Desminagem, INAD).[5] While a separate budget for INAD is not available, with its 57 demining brigades INAD is the largest demining operator in Angola and conducts most of the demining for the CED.[6]

Despite having one of the highest landmine casualty rates in the world, Angola did not receive international support for victim assistance in 2012. Angola’s national budget has several line items that potentially benefit landmine survivors. In 2011, CNIDAH budgeted AOA250 million ($2.7 million) for a national victim survey.[7] The Ministry of Health budgeted AOA1.04 billion ($11.1 million) for its annual support to the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Centre in Viana, outside Luanda, while the Ministry of Veterans Affairs budget to assist disabled veterans was AOA702 million ($7.5 million).[8] There is no available information on the number of landmine casualties that benefit from these facilities and programs. Budget information for 2012 is unavailable.

International contributions: 2012[9]

Donor

Sector

Amount

(national currency)

Amount ($)

US

Clearance

$8,675,000

8,675,000

Japan

Clearance

¥134,029,992

1,679,153

Belgium

Clearance

€1,081,000

1,390,058

Finland

Clearance

€900,000

1,157,310

Netherlands

Clearance

€625,000

803,688

Total

 

 

13,705,209

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[10]

Year

National contributions

International contributions ($)

Total Budget

2012

76,712,584

13,705,209

90,417,793

2011

59,608,964

13,276,397

72,885,361

2010

29,183,023

42,298,823

71,481,846

2009

34,514,802

18,842,472

53,357,274

2008

30,085,109

22,136,534

52,221,643

Total

230,104,482

110,259,435

340,363,917

 

 



[1] Belgium, Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Protocol V, Form F, 8 April 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire from Helena Vuokko, Desk Officer, Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, 2 April 2013; Japan, CCW, Amended Protocol II, 28 March 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire from Fabienne Moust, Policy Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 19 March 2013; and US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington DC, August 2013.

[2] Information provided by Maria Cruz Cristobal, Mine Action Desk, Security Policy Unit, Directorate-General for External Relations, EU, through David Spence, Minister Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to the UN in Geneva, 20 June 2011.

[3] CNIDAH, “External Fund Raising Strategy 2013–2017,” paper presented at side event “Angola’s resource mobilisation strategy,” during Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Standing Committee Meetings, 27–31 May 2013.

[4] Ibid.

[5] CED, “2011 Annual Report,” Luanda, January 2012; CNIDAH, “2011 Annual Report,” Luanda, undated; and Response from CNIDAH to Questions posed by the Co-Chairs of the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 29 June 2012, Question 9, p. 7.

[6]Comissão executiva de desminagem possui 57 brigadas em Angola (“Executive Commission for Demining has 57 brigades in Angola”), Agencia Angola Press (ANGOP), 20 May 2013.

[7] See the ICBL-CMC, “Angola: Casualties and Victim Assistance,” 21 August 2012; and ICBL-CMC, “Angola: Support for Mine Action,” 19 September 2012.

[8] 2011 Angola National Budget; and “ICBL-CMC, Angola: Support for Mine Action,” 19 September 2012.

[9] Average exchange rate for 2012: €1=US$1.2859; ¥79.82=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2013.

[10] ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Angola: Support for Mine Action,” 19 September 2012.