New bid to stop Cabinda war
2003-11-27 09:14
Luanda, Angola - Military chiefs from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo have pledged to help Angola end a rebellion in Cabinda, where armed separatists have for years fought for the oil-rich enclave's independence, Angolan news reports said.
The Angolan army's chief of staff, General Geraldo Sachipengo Nunda, met late on Tuesday in Cabinda with his counterparts from Congo, General Liuanga Mata, and the Republic of Congo, Colonel Garcia Pierre, Roman Catholic radio station Ecclesia reported.
The two countries, which border the enclave north of Angola, offered Angola their "full co-operation", Ecclesia quoted Sachipengo Nunda as saying.
The officers did not provide details of what action they might take, the report said.
"We cannot allow certain elements to destabilise our countries," Congo's Mata said in a news conference broadcast in part by Ecclesia.
Sachipengo Nunda said the Angolan government intended to resolve the dispute with the separatist movement, known by its acronym FLEC, through talks.
"There is no national problem which cannot be resolved through dialogue and the government is determined to do that," Sachipengo Nunda said.
A military alliance between the three countries could help force FLEC, the Cabinda Enclave Liberation Front, to the negotiating table.
Previous attempts to open talks have failed because the government has flatly refused to consider independence for Cabinda.
Cabinda is a tiny coastal province wedged between Congo and the Republic of Congo and is estimated to have around 170 000 people, most of whom live from farming.
US and European oil companies have invested billions of dollars in offshore oil platforms in Cabindan waters and the enclave provides much of the Angolan state income.
The separatists, who operate in dense jungle in the enclave's interior, say the oil wealth should be invested in Cabinda.
There is no reliable figure for the number of troops Flec commands, nor can reports of sporadic Flec attacks be accurately verified. Cabinda is mostly off-limits to foreigners who do not work in the oil industry.
The fighting in Cabinda began in 1975 after accords that granted Angola's independence from Portugal also said that the territory was Angolan.
- AP