§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has made to the Government of Angola about the reintergration of demobilised soldiers. [141374]
§ Hilary BennThe reintegration of demobilised soldiers is a key issue in the UK's regular discussions with the Government of Angola.
Since the end of the war in April 2002, over 88,000 ex-combatants have benefited from the Government of Angola's own disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme.
DFID is supporting the World Bank's Multi-country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP) for the Great Lakes region of Africa with a contribution of $25 million. The specific programme for Angola (ADRP) is an integral part of the MDRP and is worth $180 million over the next two years. The programme formally starts in January 2004 and will focus mainly on providing social and economic reintegration assistance including training and employment opportunities for 138,000 former combatants from UNITA and the government's own forces. My department has actively participated in each of the World Bank missions held over the last 18 months in order to design and set up the ADRP. DFID was also one of two donor countries (together with the Netherlands) to participate in the executive committee of the ADRP Special Project that aimed to provide 50,000 ex-combatants with seeds and tools for the autumn 2003 planting season and training in basic livelihoods skills for another 3,000.