Angolan rebels refuse to surrender despite Savimbi’s death
Angola’s government wants to secure a ceasefire and revive the collapsed peace process following the death of Unita rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, Portugal’s foreign minister said after meeting with Angola’s president.
A Unita representative said the rebels were ‘‘deeply shaken’’ by Savimbi’s death but warned they would not abandon their struggle against the government, which began after the south west African nation became independent from Portugal in 1975.
Two days after his military said it killed Savimbi in a gun battle, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos arrived in Portugal yesterday to present his plans for ending Angola’s long and devastating civil war. He is to meet with US President George W Bush in Washington tomorrow.
Portuguese foreign minister Jaime Gama said Mr dos Santos told him he was ready to take ‘‘decisive and rapid steps’’ to ensure a ceasefire.
‘‘I was convinced that the Angolan authorities are aware of the need to act quickly to restore the peace process and achieve a ceasefire,’’ Mr Gama told a news conference. He also said dos Santos plans to organise elections.
Mr Dos Santos, who has not commented publicly on Savimbi’s death, did not attend the news conference and declined to talk to reporters at his hotel.
Earlier, Carlos Morgado, a Unita representative in Portugal, said Savimbi’s death had been a major setback, but he insisted Unita would continue to oppose the government.
‘‘From now on, the scenario has changed. We’ll have to find new paths, but this will never mean a military surrender. There’ll be no military victory’’ for the government, Mr Morgado said on Portuguese cable news channel SIC Noticias.
In a statement after Savimbi’s death, the government urged Unita fighters to surrender. The Portuguese Foreign Ministry urged the Angolan government to call a ceasefire and said Unita should join in negotiations to map out the country’s political future.
The war is believed to have killed about 500,000 people, though there are no confirmed figures. About four million people - roughly one-third of the population - have been driven from their homes by the fighting, creating a humanitarian crisis.
Possible successors to Savimbi are Unita vice president Antonio Dembo and Savimbi’s close aide Paulo Lukamba Gato, both believed to be hiding out in the bush.
The UN wants the foes to abide by a 1994 peace agreement it brokered. That accord, like two others before it, collapsed, in 1998, prompting the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on the rebel group.
Unita has said the accord was flawed and has refused to enter into talks with the UN, accusing the world body of bias toward the government.
Footage of the body of 67-year-old Savimbi was broadcast on state-owned Televisao Popular de Angola on Saturday. It was filmed in a remote village near where he was killed by the army.
