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 After 3 decades of intermittent civil war, Angola finds itself waging a desperate peace. Famine threatens the countryside, where inadequate roads and landmine infestation have thwarted humanitarian relief efforts.
“Many communities are facing death and starvation,” said World Vision relief officer Jonathon White. “Children are dying in the villages. One woman told us that last week 15 children died in her village of 800 people.”
Though poverty has been the rule in Angola for decades – first because of Portuguese colonial rule, and then because of an economy ruined by civil war – the aftermath of war has raised the bar on hunger. In one resettlement area near Sambo, an estimated 150,000 people have received no food aid since November, when an anti-tank mine exploded, killing nine. In Luanda, the capital, street kids compete with dogs to scavenge from mounds of rubbish.
In response to the crisis, World Vision plans to acquire four armor-plated Land Cruisers that can be used to reach Angolans in mine-infested areas. “Peace is here to stay,” White said. “But people need help, such as seeds and tools, to restore their livelihoods. Then we can put a finish to the agony of war.”
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