ANGOLAN rebels killed 17 people in two ambushes in the centre and south of the country, the Roman Catholic radio station Ecclesia reported on Wednesday. Ten passengers were shot dead when men said to be members of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) attacked a lorry at Cacuso in the northern Malanje province, 400km east of Luanda. UNITA forces killed seven other passengers on a truck near Huambo, 600km southeast of Luanda, the radio said. Unita, led by Jonas Savimbi, has stepped up its insurgency in recent weeks. On May 5, rebels stormed Caxito, killing 100 people and kidnapping 60 orphans, according to state television. – AFP