WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM
ANGOLAN Unita rebels are being trained by Moroccan mercenaries around Unita’s stronghold in the southern town of Bailundo, according to private radio station Luanda Antena Comercial.
The radio station quoted deserters from Unita leader Jonas Savimbi’s armed forces, who claimed they had worked alongside the mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Unita’s former secretary-general, General Eugenio Manuvakola, quit the organisation last week and denounced what he called Savimbi’s “authoritarian methods” and claimed Savimbi is preparing to return to war. Manuvakola signed the accords, on behalf of Unita, that led eventually to the ex-rebels’ entry into government and United Nations-monitored efforts to form a new joint army.
However, despite the peace pact signed almost three years ago, few Unita troops have been demobilised and Unita still controls large tracts of Angola and has been accused of employing mercenaries, notably in the north.
The UN Security Council has warned Savimbi that he faces sanctions from the end of September if Unita does not fully implement the military and political provisions of the 1994 Lusaka peace protocol.
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