“The war in Angola had culminated in the suspension of political life, the exclusive focus of the economy towards the war effort, and the subordination of the human rights and security of ordinary people. After Savimbi’s untimely death in February, the country has moved with zeal towards establishing a multiparty political dispensation, with UNITA dominant in the ethnic and geographic south. Militarily, UNITA has been stripped of its central organisational capacity and is unlikely to pose a threat in the future. The remaining threat, however, is that of UNITA former combatants who appear to have been left to their own devices and are dispersed. The next challenge after winning peace in Cabinda is for the GRA to provide a security guarantee while shedding some of its military weight, thereby releasing funds and resources for other purposes; least of which will be developing and investing in all the regions in order to address the root causes of conflict located in the equitable sharing of national resources. The hope is to continue to encourage this process until elections are held in 2006.”
