World Bank aid for Angola

A year after the end of Angola's civil war, the World Bank has announced a support package of more than $100m for former combatants and their families.

The first phase of the money will be distributed to United Nations agencies, NGOs and government departments involved in the re-integration of former soldiers.

Angola has too many ex-fighters with too little to do

But officials from the bank are warning that further funding will depend on how the government tackles corruption.

The BBC's Justin Pearce in the capital Luanda says donors are also concerned that billions of dollars of Angola's own money have been unaccounted for in the last few years.

He says one big priority for Angola is the training of government personnel and the provision of other help in re-building Angola's civil administration which is barely functioning in many parts of the country.

"Clearly there is a lot of work to be done on that front. For us this is stage one to help consolidate the peace, demobilisation and re-integration of large numbers of people into society," says the banks director for Angola Darious Mans.

"At the same time it is also urgent to address these challenges of transparency", he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

Troubling scene

Two days ago UN officials expressed concern over the welfare of thousands of former rebel soldiers and their families who are returning to their home areas.

Our correspondent adds that Angola is a country full of soldiers with no where to go - a scene that is causing serious worries in the country.

They are in urgent need of job training and other help to re-integrate them into civilian life, he added.

An estimated 500,000 people were killed and tens of thousands more were displaced during the country's 27-year civil conflict.