 |
Is there hope for peace in Angola?
September 17, 1997
Web posted at: 4:07 p.m. EDT (2007 GMT)
From Correspondent Peter Arnett
MUXINDA, Angola (CNN) -- Angola's former rebel movement UNITA must finish surrendering its weapons in the coming weeks as required by the 1994 peace accord that formally ended years of civil conflict. But the agreement may be threatened, because many UNITA members are ignoring the order.
At Muxinda, a registration point for UNITA troops in the northeastern Lunda Norte province, former rebel soldiers danced to celebrate their demobilization and the end to more than 20 years of civil war.
The soldiers had been waiting for the disarmament procedures for more than a year, living in the confinement of special camps under United Nations supervision.
The return to civilian life had been delayed because of political bickering between the former Marxist MPLA-dominated government and the rival UNITA rebels, who were once backed by the United States and apartheid-era South Africa.
"We don't want more war. We hope for a free, peaceful Angola where people can live well," nurse Emilita Piedade told CNN at the Muxinda camp.
This year, the U.N. observer mission has been flying officials of both sides all over the country to supervise the demobilization process.
In the central town of Kuito, former government soldiers were also pleased to be finally able to leave a tent encampment where they and their families had languished for months.
U.N. disappointed by the numbers
However, U.N. officials were concerned that at many assembly sites far fewer soldiers were waiting to be demobilized than originally planned.
Only 810 turned up in Muxinda, even though 4,000 were originally registered there. And more than one-third of the 70,000 UNITA soldiers originally registered for demobilization simply disappeared.
This raised the threat of severe U.N. sanctions against UNITA at the end of the month, if the former rebel movement does not fulfill its pledge to surrender arms. Under the Lusaka peace accord, UNITA committed itself to completely demobilize and become a regular party, U.N. spokesman David Winhurst told CNN.
128 K/10 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
The U.N. was not only worried by the apparent troop disappearances, but also by the fact that there were still illegal UNITA roadblocks in some areas.
Unmarked aircraft also were continuing to land frequently at small airstrips, unloading supplies in defiance of restrictions imposed by the accords on unauthorized traffic.
Despite such incidents, some former fighters were preparing for a new start in their home villages. They were trading in their guns for two agricultural tools, three bags of corn and 18 nails. With this basic help, they hope to build a new Angola.
- Newsmaker Profile: Jose Eduardo dos Santos - Angolan President
|
Sound off on our message boards
You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.