§ 23. Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Angola. [46063]
§ Clare ShortThe humanitarian situation in Angola has deteriorated further over the last 12 months. The humanitarian suffering as a result of the internal conflict has been huge and millions of people are living in life-threatening conditions. NGOs are providing some basic services, but their capacity is heavily over-stretched.
I hope that the recent peace agreement between the Government and UNITA will lead to an early improvement in the humanitarian situation in Angola. Some benefits are already apparent. Aid agencies have been able to use roads which have been unsafe for many years to get food to the needy. Easier access to the worst affected areas could dramatically ease the humanitarian crisis facing the country.
I recently visited Luanda and discussed the humanitarian situation with the Government and the need to follow up the peace agreement with urgent measures to assist all displaced people, and to help them return to their homes as rapidly as possible.