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]

 

Contamination and Impact

Overall Mine Action Performance: POOR[1]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

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

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]

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]

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.

 

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]

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[10]