The United States established formal diplomatic relations with the Government of Angola in 1993. Before 1989, U.S.-Angolan relations were defined by the Cold War. The United States initially supported Holden Roberto's FNLA and later Jonas Savimbi's UNITA against the pro-Soviet and pro-Cuban MPLA government in Luanda. Since 1992, the bilateral relationship has steadily improved. Policy planning talks between the United States and Angola occurred in March 2003.

The U.S. Mission in Angola consists of four agencies--the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC). In addition, a variety of federal agencies maintain relationships with the Angolan Government through ongoing projects, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Energy. In FY 2003, U.S. Government assistance amounted to roughly $188 million.

USAID continues to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable populations with a particular emphasis on assisting the resettlement and reintegration of war-affected populations. Contributions from its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, totaling $20 million, provided seeds, tools, and other critical resettlement supplies and helped rehabilitate critical health and water/sanitation infrastructure in returnee areas. Through the State Department an additional $13.2 million helped finance refugee repatriation and reintegration. USAID's Food for Peace office provided emergency food inputs valued at $106.7 million to feed vulnerable populations and help stimulate agricultural recovery. The State Department continued to support humanitarian demining and small arms/light weapons destruction valued at $3.5 million and $500,000, respectively.

USAID's development program worth $12.4 million focused on democratization, agricultural rehabilitation, economic reform, maternal and child health, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Additional HIV/AIDS funding of just over $3 million from HHS/CDC, $1.7 million from the Defense Department, and $150,000 from the State Department helped expand surveillance, prevention, education, and voluntary counseling and testing activities. USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives provided $2.8 million to support civil society and independent media development. Additional democratization funding of $1.6 million was provided by the State Department to support civil society, political party strengthening, independent media, and judicial reform. An additional $80,000 was provided as small grants to local organizations to support democracy and human rights. To assist with economic reform, the State Department provided $2.2 million to work on land tenure, economic policy, and the financial sector. An additional $60,000 in grants were provided to community development projects. $152,000 in International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds was provided for English language training to the Angolan Armed Forces. Professional training for law enforcement personnel at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Gaborone, Botswana continued. The Safe Skies for Africa program provided around $800,000 in equipment and training to the Angolan civil aviation authority. As part of its public diplomacy program, the Embassy provided nearly $434,000 in English language training, educational exchanges and fellowships, and information resource services.

At the same time, the energy-based U.S. trading relationship continues to expand and spark other ties. One offshoot has been the development of a Sister City relationship between Lafayette, Louisiana and Cabinda and between Houston, Texas and Luanda. The Catholic University of Luanda has close links with a number of American institutions and has received support from the Angola Educational Assistance Fund, a U.S. non-profit organization organized by Citizens Energy of Boston. Sonangol has a longstanding program of educating its professionals in U.S. universities, complementing ChevronTexaco's policy of U.S. training for its own growing pool of Angolan professionals. Long before oil was discovered, American missionary efforts from the early 19th century established several Protestant churches in the interior, which also provided much of the schooling that was available in rural colonial Angola; those historical links now are being revived with exchanges in both directions.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Rua Houari Boumedienne No. 32, Miramar, Luanda, Angola. International mail: Caixa Postal 6484, Luanda, Angola; Pouch: Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place, Washington, DC 20521-2550; telephone: (244)(2)445-481, 447-028; fax: (244)(2)446-924, 447-813.