Pressured by the Angolan parliament to give an explanation on bad conditions reported at Luanda prisons visited earlier by some MPs, the Angolan government recently recognized that conditions at almost all Angolan prisons were worrying. The report said there were many cases of excessive probational periods, huge shortages of food and of medicine as well as a large number of seriously ill prisoners held without any medical care. In response, Mr Nando said that some efforts were being made but, he added, the results from such efforts were not as quick and evident as everyone desired. Ambushes on vehicles of civilians, police and United Nations observers, deliberate raids on many locations and kidnapping of villagers as well as stealing of cattle and the massive deployment of troops in new areas are some of the actions most reported in these provinces. As a result of such actions, scores of people including civilians and a government municipal administrator have reportedly been killed.
Government officials say it is difficult to determine the overall death-toll.
However, according to unofficial sources in Benguela province, in only the municipality of Ganda over 1,000 persons are believed to have been killed and an estimated 36,000 displaced from their homes in 15 days. Mrs Ana de Oliveira told a Luanda news conference that they were now asking sponsors for complementary funds to ensure that the programme initially planned would not be compromised. With a state budget deeply reliant on revenues from oil sales, Angola is now busy seeking ways to revise its budget plan for 1998 following the recent fall in oil prices on the international market. This has prompted fears, especially amongst the political opposition. They have already summoned government to explain to the parliament about the criteria to be taken into account and to make sure that the social programmes, as contrasted to the military ones, are not those to be most affected by such reductions.