97.000 former Unita soldiers reintegrated

The process of social reintegration of demobilised soldiers has cleared, out of the 105.000 planned, a total of 97.000 former soldiers of the Unita, as the Cabinet Council Standing Commission has announced. Furthermore, the Social Welfare Ministry announced that 50 social reintegration projects currently underway, benefiting about 40.000 ex-soldiers. The costs have reached US$ 19 million partly released by the Government and by partners and non-governmental organisations.
According to the communique, the assessment mentions as the main obstacles facing the reintegration process, the difficulties of access to jobs, difficulties of access to the places where the projects are being implemented and also the integration of the ex-militaries in the projects, resulting from their permanent mobility. On this, the Standing Commission was also informed that a project of micro-credits to the most vulnerable groups and rehabilitation of basic social infrastructures was in a stage of organisation. The said project, estimated at US$ five million, would be co-financed by the Angolan Government and the African Development Bank (ADB).
Furthermore, the Cabinet Council also approved the Natioanl Demining Programme for the 2006/2007 period, that will be carried out under the coordination of the FAA Executive Commission on Demining that includes the National Reconstruction Office and the National Institute on Demining. With this programme, the Government wants to secure circulation of people and goods throughout the national territory and resettlement of the populations within short and medium term and facilitate the holding of elections. (Angola Press Agency, Luanda)