Sir, - Angola's descent into yet another round of war is a salutary lesson for the international community, particularly the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Some seven years ago there was a real opportunity to help the people of Angola build a secure peace. But instead of investing in peace, the international community did the least possible, funding only a small contingent of military and police observers, limiting their mandate to act, and turning a blind eye to the UNITA rebels' failure to demobilise and disarm.
The UN Special Representative in Angola at the time, Margaret Anstee, lamented that this "peace on the cheap" was like "flying a 747 with only the fuel for a DC3". What was thought to be cheap has now cost millions of dollars, thousands of lives and countless lost opportunities.
The UN Security Council has added insult to injury by failing to act effectively against countries and corporations that have broken many sanctions, embargoes and ultimatums it has passed on Angola. If those resolutions are to have any meaning for the people of Angola, UN member states have to enforce them effectively.
The intensity of UNITA's bombardment of the towns of Huambo, Kuito and Malange, crammed with refugees from fighting elsewhere, has alarmed most observers. For the people of Angola, UNITA's ability to re-arm so comprehensively makes nonsense of the arms embargo. Easy access to arms and ammunition on the international market is yet another reminder that the arms trade is in immediate need of strict regulation. Without international political leadership to regulate the arms trade, there will be many more Angolas.
It now appears that the UN Security Council is preparing to withdraw its observer force, MONUA, from the country. While its peace monitoring role is now effectively redundant, withdrawal would hamper the UN's crucial human rights work, difficult at the best of times. It would also close the door on facilitating future peace initiatives or negotiations for humanitarian support.
Ultimately the buck stops with the warring parties. It is their responsibility to make peace, to respect the right to protection of civilians and let in humanitarian aid. But the UN Security Council has a critical role to play and should not fail the people of Angola again. - Yours, etc., Dr Brian Scott,
Executive Director, Oxfam Ireland, 19 Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2.