ANGOLA: UNITA says war continues
JOHANNESBURG, 2 November (IRIN) - A spokesman for the Angolan rebel group
UNITA told IRIN on Thursday that the war against the Angolan government
would continue, following rejection by the authorities of an offer to
negotiate a peace settlement.
Speaking from the Portuguese capital Lisbon, UNITA spokesman Joffre Justino
said he was not surprised by the rejection and alleged that the snub
indicated that the MPLA government was not serious about peace.
On Monday, UNITA issued over the Internet a series of 12 peace proposals and
political demands addressed to President Jose Eduardos dos Santos for
resuming dialogue. Angolan authorities, buoyed by recent military gains
against rebel positions, rejected the rebel offer on Wednesday. "If the
rebels lay down their weapons, we will hold (legislative and presidential)
elections as soon as possible," presidential spokesman Waldemiro da
Conceicao told journalists in Luanda.
UNITA, led by veteran guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi, said it wanted the
church, independent press and civil society to mediate between the movement
- which has waged a nearly non-stop war since 1975 - and the government.
Justino told IRIN that UNITA no longer wanted Portugal, the former colonial
power, and Russia and the United States to play a high-level role "because
these countries cannot be trusted and have achieved nothing in years of
negotiations". The three countries acted as observers to the 1994 Lusaka
peace accord, now in tatters.
Indicating that UN sanctions against UNITA may be having an impact, Justino
told IRIN: "There can be no talk of peace while sanctions against UNITA
remain in force, they must be dropped immediately, they are illegal and the
Angolan people are suffering". Asked if sanctions were hurting UNITA he
said: "My movement is stronger than ever, we will continue to wage war on
the illegitimate Luanda government."
Countering reports that the rebel movement was severely weakened by
government offensives, which have driven UNITA out of several of its
traditional strongholds, UNITA secretary-general Lukamba Gato told the
Portuguese news agency Lusa on Monday that: "We remain active in 16 of
Angola's 18 provinces and we have 40 percent of the population with us."
UNITA said its peace proposals on Monday set the stage for dialogue and the
movement was prepared to implement a ceasefire on all fronts within 24 hours
if the Angolan government would do the same. Justino told IRIN that a
ceasefire could be followed by negotiations leading to elections, the
results of which his movement would respect. Justino emphasised that UNITA
remains committed to a united Angola but with provision for regional
autonomy.
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