Returning Home to a Normal Life?

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Angola following the April 2002 ceasefire. It analyzes the gap between the government's legal frameworks for resettlement and the actual conditions on the ground, highlighting systemic failures in protection, resource allocation, and infrastructure rehabilitation.

• The April 4, 2002, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Angolan Army (FAA) and UNITA military forces (FMU) ended 27 years of civil war, though low-intensity conflict continued in the northern enclave of Cabinda.
• Displacement in Angola was massive, with approximately 4.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 450,000 refugees in neighboring countries. By mid-June 2003, 2.34 million IDPs had returned to their origins, primarily in Huambo, Benguela, Kuanza Sul, and Bié, while 1.4 million remained displaced, concentrated in Kuando Kubango, Moxico, Malanje, and Huila.
• The Angolan government established a legal framework for resettlement through the 'Norms for the Resettlement of the Displaced Populations' and 'Standard Operational Procedures,' which required preconditions such as safe access, security, arable land, and basic services before relocation.
• There was a significant failure to comply with the government's own resettlement norms. According to the 2003 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal (CAP), only 15% of IDPs moved through an organized process, and only 30% were settled in areas with adequate living conditions.
• Some returns were not voluntary; reports indicate that entire villages in camps were induced to leave through false information about assistance or threats to suspend aid. Examples include 15,000 IDPs in the Cruzeiro camp (Huambo Province) who were threatened with the suspension of assistance if they did not move to Samboto commune.
• Returning populations faced severe human rights abuses, including harassment, looting, extortion, property dispossession, rape, and arbitrary detention, often with virtual impunity for the perpetrators due to a weak judicial system and limited police presence outside provincial capitals.
• Landmine infestation remains a critical barrier to recovery, cutting off communities and causing casualties among returnees and humanitarian workers. The Halo Trust estimated there might be no more than 1 million landmines, which could be removed in about 10 years at current capacity.
• The Angolan government prioritized resources for former UNITA combatants over IDPs. By June 2003, the government had spent approximately $138 million on demobilized soldiers and their dependants, while some IDPs were forced to leave resettlement sites to make room for transiting combatants.
• Food insecurity remains widespread. A vulnerability assessment between November 2002 and April 2003 identified 2,657,000 Angolans as vulnerable. Despite an improved 2003 harvest, approximately 1.4 million Angolans remained dependent on food aid in late July 2003.
• Specific vulnerable groups, particularly female-headed households and child soldiers under 18, were often excluded from formal assistance and reintegration programs.

APA

Lari, A. (2004). Returning Home to a Normal Life? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER85.PDF

Chicago

Lari, Andrea. Returning Home to a Normal Life? Institute for Security Studies, 2004. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER85.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lari |first1=Andrea |title=Returning Home to a Normal Life? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2004 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER85.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lari2004returning, author = {Lari, Andrea}, title = {{Returning Home to a Normal Life?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2004}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PAPER85.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }