Police Reform: Lusaka Protocol
Implementations
Police Reform – 1994
The Lusaka Accord called for three main police reforms: (1) the integration of 6,700 UNITA troops into the Angolan National Police Force (ANP) following a demobilization process, (2) the monitoring of the ANP during the implementation period, and (3) the quartering of the Rapid Reaction Police Force, as a combat unit that was frequently used against UNITA forces.
The quartering of troops and the related selection processes for integration were delayed from the beginning. Several days after the Lusaka Accord, Portuguese television media reported that government troops and UNITA rebels were still fighting. UNITA claimed that after the ceasefire, the government attacked rebel positions throughout the country. The claim was denied by President Dos Santos.1
Police Reform – 1995
The selection process for UNITA troops that were to be integrated into the ANP had not begun. In November of 1995, one full year after the Lusaka Accord, it was reported that “the phased billeting of government and UNITA troops to 15 UN-built quartering areas (now in the process of completion) has not yet begun.”[fn]”Angola’s Peace Grows More Tense by the Day,” Guardian Weekly, November 5, 1995.[/efn_note]
Police Reform – 1996
There were no reports on the selection process for UNITA troops that were to be integrated into the ANP. The monitoring component, however, was finally becoming operational. UNAVEM-3 reported that its civilian police component (CIVPOL) was deployed at 40 sites. CIVPOL was tasked with monitoring the behavior of the ANP, the quartering of the Rapid Reaction Police Force, and other training initiatives as called for in the Lusaka Accord. It was reported in October 1996 that 5,458 Rapid Reaction Police officers had been quartered in 13 camps.
Police Reform – 1997
There was finally some mention of the selection process for the integration of UNITA troops into the ANP. UNAVEM III (S/1997/115) reported that “The pace of the selection process of UNITA personnel for ANP has been disappointingly slow, with only 625 UNITA elements having been selected as of 1 February.” As of June 1, the total number of the Rapid Reaction Police was 5,450. CIVPOL continued to monitor the activities and verify the quartering of the Rapid Reaction Police.1
- “Progress Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III),” U.N. Security Council (S/1997/438), June 5, 1997.
Police Reform – 1998
Although the integration process seemed to have continued into 1998 for the military, there were no further reports on the process of selection and integration into the ANP, which appeared to have stalled. The United Nations civilian police component (CIVPOL) continued to monitor and conduct investigations on the conditions of Angolan prisons and on human rights abuses to the best of its ability before being shut down.1
The verification process and implementation process broke down toward the end of year with the increased violence and the sanctions that were placed on UNITA. MONUA reported in November that “there have been no contacts between the Government and Mr. Jonas Savimbi and his group, and the joint mechanisms established for the implementation of the peace process at the national and local levels, including the Joint Commission, have been paralyzed.”2
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program coded the conflict between the Angolan government and UNITA as reaching the threshold of “war” in 1998 with over 1000 total deaths in the year. Coding for this case stops December 31, 1998.