Angola approves amnesty deal

2006-08-11 14:43

Johannesburg - Angola's parliament has approved an amnesty plan for separatists in Cabinda as part of a deal to end a simmering 31-year conflict in the oil-rich province, say reports.

The Angolan government and a faction of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) signed a peace deal earlier this month that gave special status to the restive coastal region and an amnesty to all combatants.

According to reports, Angola's parliament, which was dominated by the MPLA, the ruling party of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, passed the amnesty measure on Thursday by a vote of 128-0. There was one abstention.

Members of parliament also passed a resolution authorising Luanda to restructure Cabinda's government and alter some of the duties and tariffs that applied to goods exported or imported through the province, an enclave separated from the rest of Angola by a small strip of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angola's economy 'booming'

Angola, which had pledged to give the Cabindan separatists ministerial and diplomatic positions as well as integrate them into the army, was eager to end hostilities in the region, which accounted for more than half of the nation's oil production.

Cabindans frequently complained that they saw little from the country's growing oil wealth - Angola was Africa's second largest producer of crude after Nigeria, and its economy had been booming since the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002.

Companies, especially in the oil sector, were clamouring to stake their claim to this bonanza. Much of the interest focused on Cabinda, a former Portuguese protectorate.

Oil exploration there had tended to focus on offshore drilling, but analysts said a lasting peace would pave the way for significant onshore activity.

At the same time, they were worried that the fractured nature of FLEC could prevent Luanda from putting a final lid on separatist ambitions. A faction led by Nzita Tiago, a leading FLEC figure, already had rejected the peace agreement with the government.

- Reuters