Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
| ||||||||||||
Angola Moving Towards Peace Talks - Security Council - Global Policy Forum Angola Moving Towards Peace Talks
By Buchizya Mseteka
Reuters
February 25, 2002Angola edged in the direction of a ceasefire in Africa's longest-running civil war on Monday amid growing international calls for renewed peace efforts after the death of rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, in his first reaction to the death of his arch-foe Savimbi, said his government was committed to a ceasefire in the 26-year-old conflict in which one million people have died.
Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama said after meeting dos Santos in Lisbon that the Angolan leader had told him Luanda was committed "to take decided and very rapid steps in the direction of consolidating a ceasefire and to find platforms to (restore) the political process". The process could include elections "in the near future, but a future, in any form, that is not immediate", Gama said.
Asked if any ceasefire timetable was discussed, Gama said, "No. What was talked about was the need to follow a course." Unita rebels vowed to continue the struggle despite the death of their founder-leader, but said the government could open the path to peace by declaring a truce.
Carlos Morgado, a Unita spokesperson in Lisbon, declined to comment on Gama's remarks, saying he was waiting for a direct statement from dos Santos. But Morgado was quoted by the Lisbon newspaper Publico as saying "the ball is now with Jose Eduardo dos Santos".
"If he declares a ceasefire, obviously we have a path open that we did not have before," he said. Angolans have known little but war since independence from Portugal in 1975. Diplomats say Savimbi's death presents the best opportunity for peace in years.
Unita power struggle
The 67-year-old Savimbi was confirmed dead by his National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) movement late on Saturday after television networks showed his bullet-riddled body. He was killed by government troops. A former confidant of Savimbi, Jaka Jamba, who is deputy-speaker in Angola's 220-seat parliament where Unita holds 70 seats, said in Luanda that the government should negotiate in good faith.
"The government must give very strong signals for a ceasefire," Jamba said. "Our message to the government is that they must not humiliate Unita at this hour. They must stop the offensive and go for negotiations." Jamba, who fought alongside Savimbi for nearly 20 years, said Unita 's priority was to elect a new leadership to push for peace in the country.
"Under the Unita constitution, the vice-president takes over the instruments of power until a new leader is elected by a Unita congress," he said, identifying four strong contenders. Jamba said he had no information on the whereabouts of Unita vice-president Antonio Dembo, who was in the Angolan bush at the time of Savimbi's death.
Jamba said there were four main contenders for Savimbi's top job, including Dembo, a Swiss-trained electronic engineer. Others were Unita 's chief ex-negotiator Isias Samakuva, who is based in Paris where he heads Unita's foreign affairs; the man perceived to be Unita's head in Luanda, Abel Chivukuvuku; foreign secretary Alcides Sakala, based at Unita's Jamba headquarters; and Unita secretary-general, Paulo Lukamba Gato, who was believed to be around or near Savimbi recently.
"It will become very clear in the next few weeks as to who will take over the Unita presidency," Jamba said. The death of the wily, charismatic Savimbi is expected to touch off a power struggle within Unita that could splinter it into rival factions, delaying an end to the war, analysts say.
Gama said that given Unita 's various political and military wings and Savimbi's death, dos Santos had said it "naturally raises the question of also quickly knowing who is the political leadership, who is speaking in the name of whom". But many Angolans are hoping for an end to the war that has trapped them in poverty despite Angola's wealth in oil and diamonds. "It's good that Savimbi is gone. I'm confident the war will come to an end and we can have peace in Angola," said Eugenio Nascimento, a taxi driver in Luanda.
Annan urges peace effort
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan added his voice on Sunday to international calls for renewed peace efforts.
"This is a new and changed situation. It is important for all in Angola to take advantage of the situation and move the peace process forward," Annan's spokesperson said. A UN-brokered agreement to end the war collapsed in 1998. Since then, UN officials have met quietly with rebel envoys in a bid to resurrect peace negotiations, and most recently have been pushing government officials to renew talks.
The Luanda government said its troops killed Savimbi on Friday after surprising his column in a remote region of the country. Television networks on Saturday showed Savimbi's bearded corpse lying on a rough table under a tree. Savimbi's body was placed in a coffin and buried in a cemetery in Luena, capital of Moxico province and a government stronghold, the state news agency Angop reported.
More Information on Sanctions Against Angola FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C ß 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
