USAID/OTI Angola Field Report
July 2004
Program Description
The OTI program in Angola was initiated in February 2003 to support the renewed opportunity for a lasting peace and increased democracy following the end of forty years of violent conflict. OTI is providing support in three areas: strengthening civil society advocacy capacity; strengthening media; and increasing local level engagement between citizens and authorities in order to address community problems. OTI’s primary implementing partner is Creative Associates, International (CAII) and the FY 2004 budget is approximately $2.8 million.
Country Situation
On July 2, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos convened a meeting of the Council of the Republic, a constitutionally-established consultative body whose members consist of key governmental leaders and prominent civil society representatives. The Council recommended that general elections be held no later than September, 2006. Since that meeting, the MPLA has stressed publicly that it is committed to creating the conditions required for elections to take place by then. Tasks to be completed include approval and ratification of a new constitution, enactment of an electoral legislative framework, and implementation of a voter registration process. The government estimates that holding elections will cost $430 million, including up to $90 million for registration alone. Opposition parties are now preparing to resume discussions with the MPLA on general elections, and UNITA has agreed to rejoin the debate on constitutional reform if and when there is progress on general elections. These developments have been praised by members of the international community and others. However, some analysts continue to express skepticism regarding the MPLA’s true commitment to holding elections by September, 2006. The MPLA has not yet provided specific details as to an elections date, calendar, or planned preparatory activities, and opposition parties continue to press for a specific date.
Reports of political violence both in Luanda and elsewhere continued to increase. On July 2, Mfulupinga Lando Victor, a leading opposition parliamentarian representing the Democratic Party for Progress-Angolan National Alliance (PDA-ANA) was shot and killed as he left his party headquarters. Opposition party members accused the ruling party of ordering the killing, although MPLA officials denied this and ordered an investigation. UNITA recently alleged that the formally banned Civil Defense Organization (ODC), an armed civilian self-defense group created by the MPLA during the civil war, continues to operate with support from the ruling party. In mid-July, UNITA and MPLA party officials agreed to form an inter-party delegation to look into provincial level claims of politically motivated harassment and intimidation.
In Cazombo municipality, located in Moxico province near the Zambia border, as many as 80 homes were burned in violent attacks allegedly sparked by local residents angered by the return of a former UNITA general responsible for blowing up a major bridge over the Zambezi river during the war. UNITA officials assailed the attacks as another indication of increasing political violence and accused members of the MPLA of instigating and participating in the attacks. MPLA officials denied this and insisted that in fact MPLA authorities and police had attempted to quell the violence.
On July 8, Angola formally joined the African Peer Review Mechanism, an African Union body tasked with overseeing member countries’ progress towards political and economic reform. By agreeing to participate in this body, Angola may be showing an increased willingness to collaborate in collective African political and economic initiatives. In the past, Angola has in some cases acted unilaterally in contradiction to such regional collective initiatives. Human rights groups also welcomed this move, but will monitor Angola’s participation. Twenty-three African states have now joined the Peer Review Mechanism.
An International Monetary Fund team arrived in July to begin talks with Angolan government officials that are intended to lead to an IMF staff monitoring program in Angola. Although the Angolan government continues to request an international donors conference to generate aid for reconstruction, donors continue to express little interest in the absence of a more clear governmental commitment to co-participation. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) formally closed at the end of June, representing another move towards phasing out the high levels of humanitarian assistance donors have been providing for decades.
As security and other conditions improve, and as potential for new diamond deposit discoveries decreases in other countries (including South Africa), interest in Angola’s diamond industry is intensifying. De Beers, which left in 2001 when the government unilaterally terminated its contract to market all Angolan diamond outputs, is reportedly preparing to enter into new negotiations with Endiama, Angola’s national diamond corporation. However, De Beers officials have stressed that the company’s interests in Angola relate to new exploration and marketing of De Beers diamond output, rather than competing to market all Angolan diamonds. In 2003, Angola terminated its contract with Ascorp, the Israeli firm to which it had transferred De Beers’ contract. Endiama’s president, Manuel Arnaldo de Sousa Calado, stated that Angola hopes to increase its annual diamond production from $1 billion to $5 billion over the next five years. World diamond production is currently approximately $60 billion.
Interest in further exploiting Angola’s diamond reserves is accompanied by concern about conflict diamonds, and ongoing illegal extraction and smuggling in violation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to regulate and govern international trade in rough diamonds. The Republic of Congo-Brazzaville was recently removed from the list of countries allowed to legitimately trade in diamonds, following a KPCS review mission finding that its legal diamond exports exceeded production capacity, clearly indicating high levels of smuggling from Angola and elsewhere. Angolan government officials have cited efforts to crack down on illegal mining and smuggling, including recent forced expulsions of Congolese immigrants living in diamond areas, as evidence it is taking a proactive stance to reduce illegal smuggling.
Refugee returns from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Namibia, assisted through formal repatriation programs, resumed following the end of the rainy season. Of an estimated 441,000 refugees living in neighboring countries at the end of the war, approximately 218,000 refugees have now returned home. UNHCR estimates that up to 145,000 more refugees will return to Angola in 2004.
U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Efird will arrive in Angola on August 16th to assume her post.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Creative Associates, International is now focused on tasks required to complete program and office close-out by September 30, 2004. Most grant activities are now completed, and Creative Associates is focusing primarily on administrative tasks related to closing its office in Angola.
B. Grants Activity Summary
| Media Strengthening |
$0 |
$ 125,356 |
0 |
5 |
| Civil Society Advocacy Capacity |
$0 |
$1,142,588 |
0 |
30 |
| Citizen Engagement with Local Authorities |
$0 |
$ 632,801 |
0 |
15 |
TOTAL
(July 2004) |
$0 |
$1,900,745 |
0 |
50 |
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
During August, OTI and Creative Associates will work closely with local staff and grantees to ensure successful completion of all small grants activities and a smooth program close-out. A final evaluation will be conducted during August and September, 2004.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Angela Martin at 202-712-5434, amartin@usaid.gov
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