Angola War Legacy
An 8 news feature
1:02
Waiting for help. The Nutritional Centre of Medécins sans Frontières in the southeast of Angola. Because of the civil war, Laura Cahari has hidden in the forests with her two girls for years. The war is now over and her children are terribly undernourished.
1:21
The worst thing about life in the forests was the hunger. There were only raw mushrooms and raw potatoes, no salt, no oil. Each time I gave my children this to eat, they threw up.
1:38
The nurse, Laurence Scoglio from Freiburg, weighs Laura Cahari's children and decides what special nutrition they should receive.
1:48
At the moment, many children come to the Centre. Most of them are in a bad condition. The mortality rate is very high. Every day, we lose one or two children.
2:08
In another room, Lorly Zimmermann from the Valais is caring for mothers and children. She shows us the aftermath of poor nutrition on children.
2:25
As you can see, the face is completely bloated. With the mother, for example, also the feet.
2:31
Diarrhoea and rashes are other frequent signs of hunger.
A special milk pap is stirred for the undernourished children. They cannot digest conventional food. The therapeutic pap contains vitamins, proteins and many calories.
2:53
They are in an extremely bad nutritional condition. They just cannot absorb so much all at once. They receive this milk every three hours.
3:01
The Médecins sans Frontières camp in the town of Menongue has been heavily frequented since the ceasefire at the beginning of April. Every day, 20-30 mothers arrive there with their children.
3:26
We do not know exactly what we still have to expect. In recent years, we had no access to many areas of Angola. Firstly, we can undertake reconnaissance missions in order to evaluate the situation.
3:37
We drive past destroyed houses on the outskirts of Menongue on our way to the former war zone from where the refugees come. We are among the first journalists allowed to leave the security zone. The assassination of the UNITA leader, Jonas Savimbi, at the end of February has set much in motion in Angola. After 27 years of civil war between the UNITA rebels and the Angolan army peace now prevails.
Nevertheless, we get distrustful glances.
4:22
Collection centre in Sobo Matthiasch in the southeast of Angola:
A UNITA fighter hands over his gun and registers. UNITA officers and the regular army together enforce the disarmament. Completely unthinkably just a few weeks ago. Under the peace agreements, the former rebels are amnestied if they declare their personal details here. Already 1200 of approximately 50,000 fighters have dared to take this step.
4:51
Our absolute priority is disarmament. As you see, there is not a single foreign observer in this centre. We discuss and solve any problems together among ourselves. Without foreign help. We have decided in favour of this action because we have understood that Angola belongs to us and we will live together for always.
5:16
I should like to add, that only a few weeks have elapsed since the signing of the peace treaty yet I feel fine here. It seems to me as though we had already signed the peace treaty a year ago. Thousands of us - the Army - and them - the UNITA - want only one thing ... an end to the war.
5:36
Also the members of the fighters' families, approximately 75 000 persons, have to register here otherwise, they cannot leave the area. The sanitary situation is disastrous. An old man ministers to the rashes of a woman signs of hunger in the open air. There is virtually nothing here to eat. For 5000 people, there are exactly two hospital tents. Every day, approximately 30 people can go from here to the MSF centre in Menongue.
6:14
Back at the Médecins sans Frontières camp. A second camp is being built. It is becoming tighter in the old one from one day to the next.
6:31
The signal for the distribution of the milk pap. At the feeding point, we meet Joaquina Matebene, 30 years old. She has already lost two children. Things are looking bad for her seven-year-old son, Domingos.
6:46
We never wanted to live in the forests. However the UNITA captured us and shipped us all off there. They promised us, that peace would soon be declared, but they lied. We had to hide the whole time. There was no end to our flight. Nowhere was safe.
7:13
A woman doctor tends the wounds of little Domingos. His whole body is mutilated by blisters.
7:28
I must say that the chances of this child surviving are pretty slim. Children who are in an extremely bad condition keep arriving here. It is very difficult to do anything to help them. With this boy, there is unfortunately a very great danger that he will die.
7:50
According to Médecins sans Frontierès, half a million individuals in Angola are today threatened with starvation. The paradox is that Angola possesses gigantic petroleum deposits and the purest diamonds in the world. Angola is, however, also one of the most corrupt countries. We ask the acting Governor of Menongue why there is no longer any money for the starving.
8:09
In the present situation, our income from the mineral resources is not enough. The many diamonds, the volumes of petroleum, are not enough. We need much more money to help the displaced persons and to be able to resettle them again in future.
8:29
Grief at the nutritional centre: Lorly Zimmermann comforts nurse Laurence Scoglio. Again, a child has died. Also little Domingos has not survived. Joaquina Matebene mourns for her child. A grave will soon be dug in the graveyard for Domingos.
8:58
It is rather shocking, I now experiencing this for the first time. But fortunately we can also save many children that will again laugh and that is positive.
An 8 news feature
1:02
Waiting for help. The Nutritional Centre of Medécins sans Frontières in the southeast of Angola. Because of the civil war, Laura Cahari has hidden in the forests with her two girls for years. The war is now over and her children are terribly undernourished.
1:21
The worst thing about life in the forests was the hunger. There were only raw mushrooms and raw potatoes, no salt, no oil. Each time I gave my children this to eat, they threw up.
1:38
The nurse, Laurence Scoglio from Freiburg, weighs Laura Cahari's children and decides what special nutrition they should receive.
1:48
At the moment, many children come to the Centre. Most of them are in a bad condition. The mortality rate is very high. Every day, we lose one or two children.
2:08
In another room, Lorly Zimmermann from the Valais is caring for mothers and children. She shows us the aftermath of poor nutrition on children.
2:25
As you can see, the face is completely bloated. With the mother, for example, also the feet.
2:31
Diarrhoea and rashes are other frequent signs of hunger.
A special milk pap is stirred for the undernourished children. They cannot digest conventional food. The therapeutic pap contains vitamins, proteins and many calories.
2:53
They are in an extremely bad nutritional condition. They just cannot absorb so much all at once. They receive this milk every three hours.
3:01
The Médecins sans Frontières camp in the town of Menongue has been heavily frequented since the ceasefire at the beginning of April. Every day, 20-30 mothers arrive there with their children.
3:26
We do not know exactly what we still have to expect. In recent years, we had no access to many areas of Angola. Firstly, we can undertake reconnaissance missions in order to evaluate the situation.
3:37
We drive past destroyed houses on the outskirts of Menongue on our way to the former war zone from where the refugees come. We are among the first journalists allowed to leave the security zone. The assassination of the UNITA leader, Jonas Savimbi, at the end of February has set much in motion in Angola. After 27 years of civil war between the UNITA rebels and the Angolan army peace now prevails.
Nevertheless, we get distrustful glances.
4:22
Collection centre in Sobo Matthiasch in the southeast of Angola:
A UNITA fighter hands over his gun and registers. UNITA officers and the regular army together enforce the disarmament. Completely unthinkably just a few weeks ago. Under the peace agreements, the former rebels are amnestied if they declare their personal details here. Already 1200 of approximately 50,000 fighters have dared to take this step.
4:51
Our absolute priority is disarmament. As you see, there is not a single foreign observer in this centre. We discuss and solve any problems together among ourselves. Without foreign help. We have decided in favour of this action because we have understood that Angola belongs to us and we will live together for always.
5:16
I should like to add, that only a few weeks have elapsed since the signing of the peace treaty yet I feel fine here. It seems to me as though we had already signed the peace treaty a year ago. Thousands of us - the Army - and them - the UNITA - want only one thing ... an end to the war.
5:36
Also the members of the fighters' families, approximately 75 000 persons, have to register here otherwise, they cannot leave the area. The sanitary situation is disastrous. An old man ministers to the rashes of a woman signs of hunger in the open air. There is virtually nothing here to eat. For 5000 people, there are exactly two hospital tents. Every day, approximately 30 people can go from here to the MSF centre in Menongue.
6:14
Back at the Médecins sans Frontières camp. A second camp is being built. It is becoming tighter in the old one from one day to the next.
6:31
The signal for the distribution of the milk pap. At the feeding point, we meet Joaquina Matebene, 30 years old. She has already lost two children. Things are looking bad for her seven-year-old son, Domingos.
6:46
We never wanted to live in the forests. However the UNITA captured us and shipped us all off there. They promised us, that peace would soon be declared, but they lied. We had to hide the whole time. There was no end to our flight. Nowhere was safe.
7:13
A woman doctor tends the wounds of little Domingos. His whole body is mutilated by blisters.
7:28
I must say that the chances of this child surviving are pretty slim. Children who are in an extremely bad condition keep arriving here. It is very difficult to do anything to help them. With this boy, there is unfortunately a very great danger that he will die.
7:50
According to Médecins sans Frontierès, half a million individuals in Angola are today threatened with starvation. The paradox is that Angola possesses gigantic petroleum deposits and the purest diamonds in the world. Angola is, however, also one of the most corrupt countries. We ask the acting Governor of Menongue why there is no longer any money for the starving.
8:09
In the present situation, our income from the mineral resources is not enough. The many diamonds, the volumes of petroleum, are not enough. We need much more money to help the displaced persons and to be able to resettle them again in future.
8:29
Grief at the nutritional centre: Lorly Zimmermann comforts nurse Laurence Scoglio. Again, a child has died. Also little Domingos has not survived. Joaquina Matebene mourns for her child. A grave will soon be dug in the graveyard for Domingos.
8:58
It is rather shocking, I now experiencing this for the first time. But fortunately we can also save many children that will again laugh and that is positive.