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Luanda - Culture |
Angola was teetering on the brink of war, even while moves were afoot to avert yet another flare-up of this protracted conflict. Human rights abuses were widespread. The government, dominated by the Movement for the Popular Liberation of Angola (MPLA), and the armed opposition Union for the Total Independence (UNITA) restricted freedom of movement, arbitrarily abducted or detained civilians, censored information, and conscripted children. Both sides violated cease-fire agreements and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and looting were a persistent feature of military operations.
The food deficit had reached levels which had never been seen in the past. As a result, there was a drastic reduction in people's ability to function and their ability to acquire food. Average daily consumption of calories was reduced to 1 900 Calories per person. All these factors combined increased poverty, disease and infant mortality which reached the frightening figure of 320 per thousand.
In order to understand the problem better it is only necessary to add that, according to a survey carried out by the Angolan Statistical Institute, more than 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and 80 percent of food consumed in the country has to be imported.
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