Luanda | Tuesday
SEVEN people were killed in an ambush in Angola blamed on Unita rebels on Monday, Catholic radio reported, the first such attack since a ceasefire agreement reached just two days ago.
Another four people were injured in the attack on a truck travelling in the central southern province of Huambo, the Ecclesia radio station reported, quoting a local official as saying it was carried out by masked Unita rebels.
The Angolan army and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) rebel movement initialled a declaration on Saturday in the eastern town of Lwema in which they agreed to end Angola’s quarter-century-long civil war.
The opportunity for a deal emerged after the death in combat on February 22 of Unita’s long-time leader, Jonas Savimbi, and his second in command, General Antonio Dembo.
In over a quarter century of civil war, some 500 000 Angolans have been killed, more than 100 000 mutilated and around one-third of the population of 12-million forced to leave their homes.
Ahead of Saturday’s accord, the Angolan press had reported another attack on March 21 in Cubal, some 700 kilometres south of the capital Luanda, that was also blamed on Unita. Fifteen people were reported killed. – Sapa-AFP