SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN News Briefs
ANGOLA-DRC: FAA commander visits
The commander of the Angolan armed forces (FAA) said in Kinshasa on Tuesday
that the Angolan military presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
was now only symbolic, news agencies reported.
General Joao de Matos, in Congo for a two-day visit, said: "We considerably
reduced our forces here, our representation today is symbolic. That does not
mean Angola has removed itself from the Congolese conflict, we follow in
detail what happens here." De Matos met DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila
during the trip, which follows a meeting he had in Angola last week with the
head of the Ugandan military, Jeje Odongo. An earlier visit by de Matos to
Uganda in September sparked widespread speculation that Angola might be
preparing to withdraw its support from Kabila. De Matos told reporters on
Tuesday that the meeting between Ugandan and Angolan officials had been to
discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Angolan Minister of Defence Kundi Paihama arrived in Zimbabwe on
Monday for a visit aimed at reinforcing cooperation between the two
countries, state television monitored by the BBC said. His visit followed a
message sent to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on 3 November by his
Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo dos Santos. The message was carried by the
Angolan deputy minister of foreign affairs, George Chicoty, the official
news agency Angop reported. Chicoty, who did not disclose the content of the
message, had just visited Namibia where he presented another message from
the Angolan president to Namibia's Sam Nujoma, Angop said. Angolan,
Zimbabwean and Namibian troops are supporting Kabila in the war against
Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebels.
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