In the troubled heart of Africa: Ethnic cleansing which began in Rwanda is reaping murder and mayhem in other
Chris Gordon
THE last act in Angola’s cold war is now in motion in the diamond-mining region of the Lundas as the opposition party Unita and the Angolan army FAA confront each other across the disputed province.
What should have been a quick operation by FAA to regain control of the Democratic Republic of Congo border and bring Unita to the negotiating table has escalated to a state of near-war.
An unconfirmed report from Luanda said President Eduardo Dos Santos gave the go- ahead for a two-week offensive to contain the militias coming in from the former Zaire, and to recapture Unita-controlled diamond fields.
FAA moved into the region four weeks ago to stem the flood of Hutu militias and refugees. Reports suggest members of ex- president Mobutu Sese Seko’s presidential guard were also crossing into Angola to join Unita.
Cafunfo, the mining town and FAA base in the diamond-rich northern Cuango valley was reinforced in a secret operation and used to attack Luzamba, Unita’s diamond-mining base. But Unita repelled the attacks after FAA seriously underestimated Unita’s armaments.
In theory, Unita had been disarmed and had quartered its troops under United Nations supervision. In reality there has been a build-up of Unita’s strength over several months.
Despite the UN’s efforts, elite units of the Unita army did not go into cantonment, and up to a third of the 67 000 demobilised troops have since deserted. Effectively, Unita leader Jonas Savimbi’s army has reduced little.
Mobutu’s fall and efforts by his nemesis, President Laurent Kabila, and FAA to control the border have cost Unita its rear bases, and its supply lines through the former Zaire. Africa’s long borders and open skies, though, pose major problems for real control.
One source, who cannot be named, said there is no doubt large quantities of arms for Unita are seeping into the country, with 1994 and 1995 manufacture dates, including new Stinger missiles. The United States embassy in Luanda told the Mail & Guardian Unita had returned all the Stinger missiles supplied by the US as part of its covert war against Angola in the 1980s.
Much of the new matriel is from Eastern Europe. However, reports suggest arms for Unita are still being channelled via Unita’s supporters in South Africa.
Though Angola’s Government of Unity and Reconciliation contains Unita ministers, the party led by Savimbi from his Bailondo headquarters does not seem to be giving up his agenda. Unita controls 80% of Angola’s diamond areas, which it seized in 1992 to finance the war against the government forces after it rejected the UN-monitored election results.
Control of the Cuango Valley netted Unita income averaging $500-million a year. The organisation was expected to surrender the diamond mines after the government of national unity was installed in April, but Savimbi is clearly reluctant to cede control.
The UN peacekeeping operation in Angola confirmed this week that a group including military observers from the Portugal, Russia and the US had visited the Kassai border region and found the area tense. The group reported people fleeing the fighting, and heard artillery fire.
Under the rules of the peacekeeping operation, the UN cannot intervene militarily. It can only observe and mediate in the face of a spiral back into war. If the issues between Unita and the government cannot be negotiated successfully, the war will be fought through to the end.