OWN CORRESPONDENT, Luanda | Friday 5.00pm.
UNITA rebels shelled the town of Malanje in northern Angola early on Friday, Catholic radio station Ecclesia reported. Several people in two neighborhoods were reported injured in the attack.
On Thursday evening several shells landed within a kilometre of the governor’s residence in Malanje and dozens of civilians were admitted to Malanje’s hospital. However, many patients waited for treatment as the hospital is short of medicine.
Malanje was surrounded by Unita forces from late 1992 to 1994. In this latest offensive, the rebels control large towns near the city including Kakulama to the north and Cangandala to the south.
State television reported Unita attacked Calandula, north of Malanje, but said government forces repulsed the rebels. The central and strategic town of Kuito is also being fiercely contested. The United Nations reports about 60000 refugees fled the area the last few days.
Despite conflicting reports about specific hot spots, Unita’s renewed strength is worrying for the Angolan government, which has cut back troop deployments in support of Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila.
The capture of Ukrainian tanks at Kunje and speculation that former South African military officers are assisting Unita indicates that the conflict is rapidly approaching full-scale war.
In the town of Kuito, there is looting of food and medicine stores, non-governmental organisation Handicap says.
“The NGO Care International has lost all its vehicles and goods … and all the cars of the NGOs have been requisitioned by the army, grouped near the governor’s residence to protect them from looting,” Handicap said on Friday in a communique from Paris. — AFP
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