Angola Seen Preparing for Offensive Against Rebels
Reuters 01-AUG-99
LUANDA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The Angolan government appears to be gearing up
for a long-awaited offensive against UNITA rebels, aid workers and foreign
diplomats said at the weekend.
In the last few days, tonnes of heavy military equipment have arrived at Luanda's
port and there are reports of heavy fighting between UNITA and government
troops in some provinces.
"There seems to have been a general push and the government has consolidated
its position in some of the big towns," a senior foreign diplomat in Luanda said on
Sunday.
Angola returned to full-scale civil war in December when a four-year-old peace
process collapsed after the government launched an offensive against the rebel
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
The attack was beaten off and the conflict has reverted to the pattern of much of
the 25-year civil war, with government troops holding major towns and UNITA in
the countryside.
Since May, there has been much talk of a government offensive being launched
during the dry season, which traditionally lasts until mid September.
However, there were few signs of a buildup until last week when tanks and other
equipment arrived in Luanda's main port and were transported through the capital
in daylight.
Foreign diplomats in Luanda said this could signal the beginning of a fresh
government offensive.
"Certainly, there's been a lot of stuff coming into the port. This could be a rolling
deployment that becomes an offensive in a week's time," another western diplomat
said.
Aid workers in northern Zaire province have also seen large numbers of
government troops returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo where
Angola has backed Congo President Laurent Kabila against a rebellion which
began last year.
Earlier this month, Angola was among six African countries which signed a fragile
truce to end the Congo conflict.
In the last two weeks, the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) have left Mbanza
Congo, the capital of Zaire province, and moved into the neighbouring province of
Uige where heavy fighting was reported on Saturday.
Local media said the fighting concentrated around the three small towns of
Maquele do Zombo, Sanza-Pombo and Quimbala, some 400 km (250 miles)
northeast of the capital Luanda.
"There has been a lot of movement of FAA troops leaving Mbanza Congo," a local
aid worker told Reuters. "There have been a lot of troops moving to Cuimba and
Quimbala which is just next door to Maquela do Zombo."
Further south, heavy fighting was reported in the past few days outside the city of
Malange, about 450 km east of Luanda.
"We have heard a lot of shelling outside the city," another aid worker said. "But it
has been quiet in town. It seems to be much more controlled now."
FAA Brigadier Jota Jose Manuel told Reuters that UNITA troops had been
pushed back from the city, but rebel forces were still attacking nearby towns.
"There has been shelling in Cambondo (25km east of Malange) because they are
trying to get close to the city," he said.
However, he said the fighting in Malange and Uige did not indicate a fresh
government offensive. "It's not an offensive. At the moment we are defending our
positions."
The Angolan war is expected to be a major issue when the 14-member Southern
African Development Community (SADC) meets in Maputo, Mozambique later
this month.
With Angola under diplomatic pressure to resume talks with UNITA, the
government may want military gains on the ground to give it leverage in any
potential negotiations, diplomats said.
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cnn.com customnews again - customnews.cnn.com
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I understand that the area around the mines [page 10 of AR] is relatively peaceful lately, thanks to certain agreements, an increased government presence - hey, they need the revenue - and a sizable security force that is likely a major expense.
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