/ 27 January 1999

ANGOLAN PEACE ACCORD SCRAPPED

THE Angolan government abandoned the 1994 peace accord on Tuesday and said it would use its military might to seize land held by Unita rebels. Faustino Muteka, minister for territorial administration, told parliament that an official declaration ending the validity of the 1994 Lusaka agreement would be issued before the end of February. The army said on Tuesday that it has taken the town of Cangandala in the south of Malanje province, 380km south of the capital, Luanda. It also reported heavy fighting in other areas.

WIFE KILLER WANTED PEACE

FORMER security policeman Michael Bellingan on Tuesday recounted to the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission how he bludgeoned his wife with a wheel spanner and strangled her with her hairdryer cord in 1991. This he did to prevent her leaking information about the police, and destabilising the peace process, he claimed. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence for the murder.