Truce agreement.

• Author: Taylor, Russell
• Position: Peace Watch

Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Africa, on 21 May said that, after the signing of the 4 April accord between the Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the prospect of a return to war in Angola was "almost zero". The truce agreement followed the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. Mr. Gambari, however, also warned that the humanitarian situation remained potentially destabilizing. He called the situation very serious, particularly in the 38 "quartering" areas where 55,000 UNITA troops and 300,000 of their family members were supposed to be housed. The Government had underestimated the enormous challenges of providing food, shelter and medicine to the ex-combatants and their families, he said.

Since 1993, the Council has imposed arms, fuel, travel and financial sanctions on UNITA to convince it to abandon violence and enter the political process. The challenge now is how to...