/ 14 April 2000

UN EXTENDS MANDATE IN ANGOLA

THE United Nations Security Council on Thursday extended its UN political mission in Angola for six months following a report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan that stopped short of criticising the Luanda government on social or human rights issues. The small UN office was established after UN peacekeepers were pulled out of the country when it plunged back into civil war a year ago. UN officials in the past have criticised Angola for offering few social services to its people, especially those in areas once loyal to Unita, failing to repair its infrastructure and putting all its oil revenues into weapons.