On 4 April 2002, an historical ceremony at the National Assembly in Luanda officially brought to an end the longest running high intensity conflict in Southern Africa. The signature of the Memorandum of Understanding by the military leaders of the two belligerent parties and their unequivocal commitment to the 1994 Lusaka protocol paved the way for what many analysts considered the most promising window of opportunity for the resolution of Angola's civil war of nearly three decades. In fact, for the first time in years, the majority of analysts, policy makers (Angolan and foreign), donors, non-governmental organisations and humanitarian agencies agree that a return to war by UNITA is not only unlikely, it is a logical impossibility. The end of the war in Angola poses a number of interesting questions regarding its relations with its neighbours, in particular, interstate cooperation in issues of strategic importance for the region. Among these, cooperation around the Okavango River basin, involving Angola, Namibia and Botswana, currently assumes particular relevance. Rising in the Angolan highlands, the Okavango River basin covers an area of 200,192 km2, most of which is located in Angola. However, very little is known about water use in the upper catchment area, largely a result of the fact that the province of Kuando-Kubango has been inaccessible due to the war and no in-depth studies on water usage have so far been carried out.