Angola
A twenty-five-year civil war ravaged Angola after independence from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed forces. A national unity government was installed in April 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. A cease-fire was called in April 2002, and the following November, a peace agreement ended the conflict. The country is slowly recovering from the war, which shattered infrastructure and social services nationwide. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in the conflict. Despite the peace agreement, as 2004 ended, the crucial disarmament and demobilization provisions of the agreement had not yet been fully implemented.
After fighting ended elsewhere in the country, an insurgency persisted in Cabinda, pursued by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). Since 1975, FLEC had engaged in low-level guerilla attacks against government targets and periodically kidnapped foreigners. Leadership struggles within FLEC led to its splintering into factions. FLEC rebel activity has now subsided, and government forces are pursuing FLEC rebel remnants.
Foreign governments and non-governmental organizations continue to provide large amounts of humanitarian aid, although some western governments, citing Angola's considerable oil revenues, began to call on the Angolan government to finance its own recovery.
In spite of Angola's expanding economy, the majority of Angola's 10 million people live in poverty, and its external debt is massive. Inflation has declined since the end of the civil conflict. The Angolan economy is highly dependent on its oil sector, which accounts for about half of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 90% of export revenues.
In recent years, allegations have arisen that suggest large portions of Angola's oil revenue have been embezzled or channeled to military purposes. According to the IMF, about $1.2 billion of Angola's oil revenue is "unaccounted for." Due to continuing questions posed by the IMF over the transparency of Angolan Oil and Financial Sectors and the resulting delay in any new loan negotiations, the Angolan government has over the past year actively tried to obtain over $1 billion in additional high interest, short-term private loans. Despite the recommendations of the IMF and the various NGOs to the contrary, the government has continued to use expected future oil production earnings as a means of collateral for the loans requested.
Travelers should avoid non-essential ground travel outside the capital Luanda, due to banditry, land mines, poor infrastructure and the absence of emergency services. In addition, there are frequent checkpoints, run by police and military officials who may be undisciplined, and their authority should not be challenged. Travel in many parts of Luanda is relatively safe by day, but car doors should be locked, windows rolled up, and packages stored out of sight. Visitors should avoid discretionary travel after dark, and no travel should be undertaken on roads outside of cities after nightfall. Travelers should not photograph any sites or installations that could be of security interest, including government buildings, as doing so may result in fines or detention.
Chloroquine-resistant malaria, AIDS, hepatitis A and B, trypanosomiasis and meningitis are among the many diseases present; travelers should receive the recommended vaccinations before departure.
