DESTINATION ANGOLA
Angola's outlook is bleak. After more than 20 years of war the countryside is littered with mines, the infrastructure is in ruins and the country's social fabric is tattered. Shortly after the Portuguese withdrew in 1974, the transitional government to independence broke down and the country was thrust into civil war. It has been at war with itself (with the assistance of combat troops from Cuba, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and covert financial aid from the USA) ever since, with occasional lulls. The country has been invaded by the Congo and South Africa in support of opposing factions, and the United Nations, the USA, the Organization of African Unity, Russia, Portugal and South Africa have all had a shot at brokering peace. The latest and longest break in the fighting lasted from 1994 to 1998, but by early 1999, war was the answer to the question on everyone's lips.
Angola hit the international news in December 1998 and again in January when two United Nations planes were shot down over Angolan territory. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, called it 'an outrageous crime' intended to intimidate the UN. He recommended that the United Nations shut down its peacekeeping operations because the government and UNITA rebels were bent on wiping each other out militarily, and UN peacekeepers could no longer do their jobs. Annan expected all UN personnel to be out of the country by late March, effectively removing the last witnesses to the next round of the civil war. The big losers in the whole affair are, of course the Angolan people, more than 100,000 of whom have been killed since the fighting began.
