TUESDAY 11.00AM:
THERE are still a large number of troops belonging to the Angolan rebel movement Unita in several provinces, in spite of its claims to have demilitarised its forces, according to a United Nations official.
Quoting a report by the commander of UN forces overseeing the peace process, UN representative for Angola Alouine Blondin Beye said the UN mission in Angola is seeking an “effective solution” to the troops’ presence. Beye called on Unita leader Jonas Savimbi to shut down its miltary aparatus and join the political process.
Unita has failed to meet the May 31 deadline proposed by Blondin Betye for handing back areas under its military control to the Luanda government, in line with the November 1994 Lusaka peace accords. Savimbi has meanwhile requested further time to think.
A UN spokesman in New York said on Monday that Unita had now proposed a deadline of June 25 for turning over its remaining strongholds. Blondin Beye has threatened to resign his mission unless Unita and the government finally agree on implementing the Lusaka.
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