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Increasing UNITA Violence Jeopardizes Peace
The Angolan government "will show patience" while at the same time making sure it does not lose control of an already volatile situation.
Deputy Minister Higino Carneiro
UNITA's continued failure to return four strategic cities (Andulo, Bailundo, Mungo and Nharea) to State administration resulted in the application of additional UN sanctions against the organization. As of July 1, 1998, all United Nations member states are required to freeze all assets of UNITA officials and their family members. No diamonds may be sold without an Angolan government certificate and no mining equipment may be exported to UNITA-held areas.
To date, sanctions have had limited to no positive effect. Efforts to resolve the stalemate were stymied when UNITA leaders in Luanda abruptly departed for Andulo and did not return to the capital until August 7. In addition, UNITA conducted a military offensive, recapturing towns, terrorizing the civilian population and attacking UN and government officials and relief workers. As a result of their campaign of violence, the UN and numerous non-governmental organizations have withdrawn from eight provinces, thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries and hundreds of people have been killed.
The most violent attack occurred in the small mining village of Bula, near the town of Cafunfo in Lunda Norte province. On June 22, forces believed to be from UNITA brutally massacred 215 innocent civilians and wounded another 70 in a six-hour rampage. Many homes were set on fire and others were looted by heavily-armed UNITA troops. More than 80 people were burned to death in their homes, while others were shot or hacked to death by machete. Survivors were taken to Luanda for emergency medical care, where they identified their attackers as members of UNITA.
The massacre in Bula represents the worst atrocity committed since the signing of the Lusaka Protocol in 1994, but it is not an isolated incident. Since May, UNITA has systematically launched a destabilization campaign by relaying land mines, attacking villages, seizing localities previously returned to government authority, attacking UN and international relief workers and causing more than 150,000 Angolans to flee their homes.
Over the past three months, the government has recorded more than 300 armed actions, including attacks, assassinations, ambushes and kidnappings that left 394 dead, 251 wounded, and 407 missing, as of July 31. All this violence has been generated by an organization that in March declared it had demobilized all of its troops, turned in all of its weapons to the UN peacekeeping force, and was legalized as a political party.
Some 90 localities have been retaken by force in the past months, including the strategic border town of Luau, from which one can control the major roads into the diamond provinces of the Lundas, a key source of revenue for UNITA's war machine. Cazomba, with its UNITA-built airport, has also been retaken. Relief items have been stolen from NGOs in Huila and Benguela provinces. A MONUA helicopter was fired at in Uige province as were MONUA patrol vehicles in Malange province. Two former UN bases were taken by UNITA in Cuando Cubango province. On July 6, sixteen Angolan national policemen were killed in a UNITA ambush in Lunda Norte province. The truck carrying the men detonated three freshly planted land mines on the road to Camaxilo. UNITA forces then surrounded the vehicle and summarily executed all survivors. An ambush on the Lucapa-Luo road leading to Saurimo left 15 people killed and 15 others wounded.
In the face of these provocations, the Angolan government has tried to exercise restraint, but the current cycle of violence cannot continue. "This situation is obliging my government to adopt adequate measures to confront what is an undeclared state of war," warned President dos Santos in mid-July.
Southern African Leaders Deplore Savimbi's Violent Campaign
Many leaders in the region fear that UNITA's latest hostilities could restart a war and jeopardize the entire region's plans for economic growth and stability. South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad warned of a severe refugee problem as thousands of Angolans continue to flee UNITA's armed attacks. The Southern African Development Community (SADC), in a comuniqué issued on July 28, condemned UNITA's resumption of hostilities and called upon its leader to comply fully with the provisions of the Lusaka Protocol and UN Security Council resolutions. President Nujoma of Namibia and President Mogae of Botswana have strongly criticized the "continuous tendency" of UNITA to renege on its commitments. In a joint communiqué issued on July 30, the two men said Savimbi's actions amounted to a declaration of war. President Chiluba of Zambia and President Mugabe of Zimbabwe also denounced UNITA, calling on all nations to scrupulously enforce sanctions to compel the organization to pursue peace and not war. President Mugabe also told reporters at the SADC conference that "Savimbi seems to want to achieve his own objectives by resorting to war."
UN Special Envoy Sent to Restart Dialogue
In the wake of the death of UN Special Representative Alioune Blondin Beye (see World Mourns the Loss of Maître Beye) and the increasing attacks perpetrated throughout the country by UNITA military forces, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan dispatched a special emissary to Angola on July 31 in an attempt to restart negotiations to complete the peace process. Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian Foreign Minister, was tasked by Secretary General Annan to assess the situation in Angola and provide advice on potential next steps to reinvigorate the process. During the first week in August, Brahimi met with President dos Santos and UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi as well as members of the "Troika" of Observer Nations (the U.S., Portugal and Russia) and the government and UNITA delegations to the Joint Commission. For the Angolan government's part, President dos Santos assured Mr. Brahimi that the government remains committed to the full implementation of the 1994 Lusaka Protocol.
Brahimi's visit did result in the return to Luanda of UNITA's representative to the Joint Commission, Isaias Samakuva, following a two month absence. However, UNITA's chief in Luanda, Antonio Dembo, remains with Savimbi in Andulo. Brahimi also announced during his visit that Secretary General Annan had appointed Mr. Issa Diallo, a long-time UN diplomat from Guinea, to replace Maître Beye as his Special Representative to Angola.
On August 13, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission to Angola until September 15. The Council also strongly deplored the deteriorating political and security situation "which is primarily the result of the failure by the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA) to complete its obligations under the "Acordos de Paz", the Lusaka Protocol and relevant Security Council resolutions." The Council demanded that "UNITA comply immediately and without conditions with its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol and with relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular the complete demilitarization of its forces and full cooperation in the immediate and unconditional extension of State administration throughout the national territory." The Council further demanded "that UNITA cease its reoccupation of localities where State administration was established and stop attacks by its members on civilians, GURN, and international personnel."
It is clear that the current situation cannot continue. The government of Angola believes that as the next immediate step negotiations with both parties should begin in order to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner and resume the extension of State administration. As Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Higino Carneiro said following his meeting with Mr. Brahimi on August 4, the Angolan government "will show patience" while at the same time making sure it does not lose control of an already volatile situation.
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DEATH OF DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF ANGOLAN ARMED FORCES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. October 19, 1998: Ambassador to the United States, António dos Santos França, expressed his government's profound sadness at the death of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) Deputy Chief of Staff, General Arlindo Chenda Pena ("Ben-Ben") in South Africa early this morning. "General Ben-Ben was a man committed to peace. As a former UNITA general who joined the FAA as part of the military integration of UNITA officers, General Ben-Ben well understood the need for peace and reconciliation," Ambassador França said. "Prior to his death, the General signed a communiqué calling on his former comrades to lay down their arms. The best tribute we can make as a nation to this great man's memory is to honor his wish and end the violence and conflict that threaten our country," the Ambassador noted. "We join with others in the government in expressing our heartfelt condolences to the General's family on their terrible loss."
General Ben-Ben passed away early this morning at the principal hospital of the HOLDINGF Clinic in Pretoria, South Africa. Rather than seeking help from the principal military hospital, as stipulated by Angolan military guidelines, General Ben-Ben first sought treatment at a private clinic in Luanda. Only after treatment at this clinic failed to heal the General, did he present himself to the military hospital on October 15. Noting the seriousness of his illness, the military hospital immediately arranged for a medical evacuation on October 16 to a specialized hospital in South Africa. Unfortunately, the delay in seeking adequate treatment proved fatal. South African hospital authorities determined the cause of death to be malaria.
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Angola Army Chief: Military Situation 'Very Bad'
Luanda TPA Television on October 12, 1998
Joao Baptista de Matos, Angolan Armed Forces [FAA] chief of General Staff, has described as increasingly worrisome the country's military and political situation. He said the FAA troops will continue to work to fulfill its duties, because Jonas Savimbi's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola [UNITA] is stepping up its military operations throughout Angola. [Begin recording] [De Matos] The situation is very bad. It is terrible. The UNITA military forces are involved in military operations virtually throughout the country. This war is being waged by UNITA's warmongering wing, and it is causing great disturbances among our people.
[Unidentified reporter] [Words indistinct] very worrisome?
[De Matos] Military operations are taking place in various parts of the country, and they are causing hardship to the population.
[Reporter] [Words indistinct].
[De Matos] FAA will obviously continue its work to fulfill its duty.
[Reporter] Where is the situation especially difficult?
[De Matos] The situation is generally difficult. There is no one locality that is in complete peace.
[Reporter] But what is the situation on the war front?
[De Matos] As I have said, the situation is difficult, but we are all giving it our closest attention. [end recording]
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Rebels advance after fall of Kindu October 16, 1998
Robert Mugabe is desperately trying to shore up the teetering Laurent Kabila, write Howard Barrell and Iden Wetherell
Congolese rebels, flushed by their victory this week over thousands of government and foreign troops in an eight-day battle for the key town of Kindu, are regrouping for a two-pronged assault southwards on the diamond-mining centre of Mbuji-Mayi and the Democratic Republic of Congo's second-biggest city, Lubumbashi.
The rebels, backed by Rwandan troops, want to bankroll their war against President Laurent Kabila's government with diamond and other mineral revenues, in much the same way as Unita leader Jonas Savimbi has done in Angola.
Reports from the Congo indicate that roads in the east of the country are in better condition than usual at this stage of the annual rainy season. If the weather holds, the rebel advance could therefore be quite rapid.
South African-based security analysts say Kabila's regime in Congo is now in a perilous situation and its survival until Christmas is in doubt. Unconfirmed reports say that the rebels have already deployed reconnaissance units of up to 250 soldiers who are now probing the surrounds of Mbuji-Mayi and Lubumbashi.
The loss of Kindu has crippled Kabila's ability to mount an offensive against rebel strongholds in eastern Congo or to launch an attack into Rwanda - a response intelligence sources suggest he was planning.
News agency reports quote rebel commanders as saying their forces took 1 337 Angolan, Chadian and Sudanese troops prisoner at Kindu.
South African-based security analysts say they now have evidence that Angolan rebels from Unita have been training and fighting alongside Congolese rebel forces for a month or two. This lends a further dimension to the internationalisation of the imbroglio in the Congo.
Zimbabwean troops, who had been fighting alongside Kabila's forces in Kindu, are understood to have been withdrawn from the battle late last week. They were transported by aircraft and trains and are now thought to be stationed in Lubumbashi, where most Zimbabwean business interests in the Congo are situated. Zimbabwean companies are involved in, among other things, working cobalt deposits and tailings near the city.
After two days of talks with Kabila in Lubumbashi this week, in their first meeting since the war erupted in August, President Robert Mugabe has announced he is contemplating sending allied forces to the eastern front to shore up Kabila's army. Although official reports suggest Mugabe was received by the Congolese as a conquering hero, the fall of Kindu will have dampened his triumphal parade.
Zimbabwe has been a leading supporter of Kabila's regime. At their last meeting in July, Kabila is understood to have received assurances from Mugabe of political and material support ahead of the looming insurrection against his government. The prompt intervention of Zimbabwean troops at the end of August prevented the fall of Kinshasa to rebel forces.
Mugabe has previously given Kabila carte blanche to pursue his war with the rebels. But with the fall of Kindu, the Zimbabwean leader's hopes of a quick victory with minimal cost that would have silenced the growing protest at home have been dashed. He was therefore expected to move towards the negotiated solution currently being brokered by Zambian President Frederick Chiluba and supported by Mandela.
The war is not popular in Zimbabwe despite attempts by the official media to cast the country's intervention in heroic mould. Although Mugabe may have temporarily put the pesky South Africans in their place and re-asserted his own regional primacy, at $1-million a day he simply cannot afford to get bogged down in a protracted conflict, observers felt.
These considerations have now been thrown to the wind as Mugabe announced on his return from Lubumbashi on Wednesday a review of strategy with allies Angola and Namibia. Three thousand Zimbabwean troops have been stationed in the west of the country hitherto, mainly around Kinshasa.
Allied forces would never allow the rebels to take control of the Congo, Mugabe declared. "Do they think a country as vast as the [Congo] could ever be subject to the wiles and guiles of little Rwanda, or even Uganda? It's absolutely stupid," he said at the conclusion of the talks.
Mugabe gave every indication he had been provoked into adopting a more hardline stance by the events of recent days. He said the understanding was the war in eastern Congo would be resolved by diplomacy.
"But the more we negotiate peace, the more they take advantage to extend their area of control," he said, calling on the international community to denounce the rebels and their Rwandan/Ugandan sponsors as aggressors.
In Lubumbashi, Kabila was anxious to emphasise the economic ties being forged between Zimbabwe and Congo. He will be going to Harare at the end of the month to sign trade agreements. An energetic official campaign has been persuading Zimbabwean businesspeople to take advantage of the Congo market before South Africa gets in. Speculation has been rife that individuals close to Zimbabwe's political leadership have secured lucrative trade and mining deals.
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing its most serious economic crisis since independence in 1980 and the International Monetary Fund, upon whose largesse the government depends, is tightening its reins. Political commentators and civil society representatives have all pointed to what the country's crumbling infrastructure and social services could do with $1- million a day.
South African-based security analysts believe Mugabe also raised with Kabila the security of Zimbabwean business interests in the Congo, and the recovery of the estimated $250-million Kabila's government owes Zimbabwe for military assistance.
They believe the sensible path for Mugabe now is to try to reposition himself in the Congo conflict. If he were to play a key role in forcing Kabila to the negotiating table, he might be able to secure several important objectives. One would be to guarantee repayment of the Congo's debt to Zimbabwe by whoever might succeed Kabila if he were suddenly thrown out.
Another objective would be to avoid what is now a very real chance of a comprehensive military defeat being inflicted on the Southern African Development Community-sanctioned forces in Congo. As the loudest advocate of military support from community states for Kabila's regime, Mugabe would suffer a major blow to his reputation through a defeat when his position within Zimbabwe is weakening markedly.
Rwanda, whose troops have been heavily involved on the rebel side, is thought now to want to destroy as fast as possible the retreating pro-Kabila forces finally defeated at Kindu on Tuesday. "They will want to wrap things up fast," said Richard Cornwell of the Institute of Security Studies, "probably through night attacks - a devastating tactic in unfamiliar terrain."
© Weekly Mail & Guardian
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