World War Angola (Essay Sample)

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World of War
Introduction
The Angolan civil war started after the country gained independent from Portugal and has lasted for 25 years (Ranger 78). Prior to this war, two major conflicts occurred namely the Decolonization Conflict and the Angolan War of independent in 1974 to 1975 and 1961 to 1974 respectively (Ranger 76). The Civil war was triggered by a power struggle between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola MPLA and the National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). In 1980s, Angola was perceived as a battleground for the Cold War that was precipitated by opposing powers the United States and Soviet Union (Ranger 89). This paper explores the recent incidences related to the war/conflict in Angola.
Conflict in Angola
In Angola, conflicts have continuously dominated for over three decades (Nielsen 108). The militaristic parties often fund their troops by trading natural resources particularly oil and diamonds for ammunition and weapons. But lately, the global major diamond cartel, De Beers declared it had placed an embargo on the procurement of Angolan diamonds. Angolan civil conflicts started in 1974 after the country became a sovereign state (Nielsen 111). The chief antagonists are mainly the (MPLA) and (UNITA). Cuba and Soviet Union supported MPLA while US, China and South Africa supported (UNITA) at independence. After the Cold War, U.S and Soviet Union pulled back creating a void that was later filled by various groups of actors including multinational companies (Nielsen 120).
The MPLA won elections in 1992 and formed the government, which signed the Lusaka Peace Protocol (Nielsen 99). The country experienced relative calm for four years, but conflicts between the two parties resumed in 1998. UNITA’s source of funding mainly comes from diamonds, which are very well-known for their high value. The rebels control two thirds of the country’s diamond although other military clashes with Angola’s forces in the Luanda Norte province. The MPLA generates its revenues mainly from oil produced in Cabinda city (Nielsen 90). Oil accounts for 80% of the entire government revenues. The victims of the civil war are mainly the citizens where over 600,000 people have died and 3 million becoming refugees. UNITA is deemed as mastermind of the country’s conflicts. In 1993, the UN Security Council tried to limit UNITA’s capacity to wage confrontation by imposing an embargo on arms and oil supplies to UNITA (Nielsen 119). In spite of the limits, the UN sanctions have totally failed mainly because the foreign diamond market is complex.
Diamond market is dominated by De Beers a South African multinational company that controls over 70 percent of the global diamond turnovers (Nielsen 98). Although the company promised to abide by the UN limits and avoid buying unofficial Angolan diamonds, the company has continuously violated the agreement. Smuggling of diamond is attributed to official corruption and inadequate control, which allows export of diamond to Zambia, the democratic Republic of Congo, Israel and Europe (Nielsen 145). Unfortunately, the government uses oil revenues for buying weapons rather than investing in the Angolan people.
Poverty issue
Angola is among the poorest states in the world despites its huge oil reserve (Moyo 67). A high rate of poverty is attributed to the continued civil war that ended in 2002. 68 percent of Angolans lived below the poverty line while fifteen percent endured severe poverty in 2001. Although civil war ended thirteen years ago, no remarkable efforts have been adopted to reduce poverty. Poverty is extreme in the rural settings where about 94 percent of families languish in poverty. Access to basic services including sanitation, safe drinking water and electricity are available to less than 30 percent of the population. Increased civil war pushed majority of people to towns and cities. Rural economy remains at its worst with risks of bombs and landmines hindering return to rural campaigns.
Bridges and roads have been ruined making it hard for farmers to access their agricultural necessities. Majority of families displaced during the war mainly depend on humanitarian assistance and help. The education and health system has toppled resulting to lack of knowledge and illness. Initially, Angola had an elaborate irrigation system for its sugarcane and banana estates, but was ruined following the persistent war (Moyo 110).
The Human Development Index (HDI) place Angola at 148th position in terms of life expectancy levels (Moyo 198). It is estimated that the gap between the poor Angolans and the 10% richest Angolans deferred by 130 times i.e. $ 190 and $25000 respectively (Moyo 209). UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon explains that the country has enormous wealth, but with a large gap between poor and rich (Moyo 111). Angolan government faces pressure over its corruption dealings and demanded to account for $32billion (Moyo 67).
Angola was previously a major exporter of coffee, sisal, bananas and a breadbasket for Southern Africa. However, escalating civil wars, which lasted over 25 years, destroyed the agricultural practices forcing the population to urban cities. Currently, Angola relies on expensive food imports from Portugal and South Africa while over 90 percent of the agriculture is practiced at subsistence and family level (Moyo 78).
Thirteen years after peace agreement, the government wants to cut down on food imports by encouraging its subjects to relocate to rural areas. In order to attain this fundamental goal, the government has initiated a stimulus plan to support farming and increase opportunities outside key cities. The stimulus program focuses on reducing overcrowding urban centers especially Luanda, which was initially designed to accommodate 800,000 people, but currently has a population of five million people. Dependence on two products mainly diamonds and oils make the economy susceptible to the forces of international markets, which impact the country’s long-term development plan. World Bank economist Ricardo Gazel explains that diversifying the country’s economy into labor intensive sectors such as agriculture is paramount for long term development (Moyo 278).
The government has recently been weighing options for diversifying agriculture. Further, the Angolan government is committed to the integration of rural development plan, which will help in improving schools, roads, access to micro credit facilities, building new homes, providing training programs and restructuring health services. During a recent high profile government convention, heavily promoted by media, politicians intend to invest substantial savings into rural places with an expectation of persuading city dwellers to relocate to the country sid...