From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ANGOLA: ARMED CLASHES CONTINUE DESPITE CEASEFIRE
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:03:32 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ANGOLA: ARMED CLASHES CONTINUE DESPITE CEASEFIRE


lisbon, nov 2 (ips) -- fighting continued in angola monday
following weekend clashes in which national union for the total
liberation of angola (unita) vice-president jeremias chitunda and
another top unita leader, salupeto pena, were killed.

the official radio of the ruling popular movement for the
liberation of angola (mpla) said over a thousand people, both
''angolans and foreigners'' died in weekend fighting in the towns
of luanda, huambo, benguela and lobito.

the radio said the number could ''easily increase since the
figures from other provinces are not yet known.''

reports received in lisbon stated that the streets of luanda
were the scene of a ''witchhunt'' for unita members by armed
civilians, who came out into the streets to assist governmental
forces expel unita from the capital.

the reports said the mpla government has not been able to
control these groups despite repeated communiques on radio and tv
late monday calling on the population to remain home and not ''to
take justice into their own hands.''

hundreds of corpses were strewn on the streets of the angolan
capital. some had been there for ''over 48 hours,'' according to
a correspondent for the private portuguese t.v. channel ''sic.''

unita and mpla forces traded fire on the outskirts of luanda
monday, while heavy artillery was used in clashes in two other
cities, kiuto, in the central province of bie, and the port city
of benguela, despite a ceasefire brokered by un secretary-general
boutros boutros ghali sunday.

the ceasefire officially entered into effect at zero hour on
monday, but both the mpla and unita had warned boutros-ghali that
a real ceasefire would be impossible at the hour agreed because
of difficulties in communicating with all armed groups.

in statements broadcast on radio monday, luanda's police chief
said he had not received an ''official ceasefire order.'' he said
the police ''has attacked no one and we only return unita's fire
when it attacks us.''

a portuguese radio correspondent in angola monday confirmed
the death of chitunda, who had led the unita delegation at talks
which culminated in a may 1991 peace agreement.

the journalist, joao aguiar dos santos, said the corpses of
both chitunda and pena ''are at the police high command in luanda
and i was able to see them after insisting for five hours.''

he said the two men died sunday when police shot at a column
of vehicles headed by unita military chief general ben ben, in
which they tried to leave luanda. (more)
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quoting unconfirmed reports, he said ben ben was wounded in
the attack, but was able to escape.

unita ''number three'' abel chivukuvuku was severely wounded
in the attack and had to undergo an emergency operation in a
luanda hospital, where he is being held by mpla forces.

the situation in the capital's hospitals was reported to be
desperate and the local radio issued repeated communiques urging
doctors and nurses to report to work.

military sources said huambo, the town where unita leader
jonas savimbi has his headquarters, was calm on monday, while
peace was gradually returning to huila, a provincial capital in
southern angola, which had been the scene of violent clashes over
the weekend.

isolated acts of violence began in early october when the
unofficial results of the sep. 29 - 30 elections showed that the
mpla had defeated unita in the polls.

unita began launching large-scale attacks after the
publication of the official results of the elections, approved by
the united nations and the three countries which have been
overseeing the peace process -- the united states, portugal and
russia -- but rejected by savimbi.

international analysts have concluded that savimbi's strategy
is to divide angola into two, with a view to ruling over a new
country consisting of two central provinces where unita obtained
more votes than the mpla.

however, to do this, savimbi needs to take the port of
benguela, which would enable him to receive supplies from the sea
in the event of a prolongued war.

but most of the inhabitants of the culturally and racially
mixed port city are afraid of falling into the hands of unita, an
ethnic-based movement, and reports from benguela indicate that
even those who do not sympathize with the mpla are preparing to
resist.

meanwhile, local analysts are describing as a ''big diplomatic
setback for savimbi'' a letter the south african government sent
monday to the united nations in which, for the first time, it
recognized the electoral results in angola, despite pretoria's
political closeness with unita.

for its part namibia has ordered its forces to patrol its
1000-km border with angola to avoid probable waves of refugees
from the neighbouring angolan provinces of cunene, namibe and
cuando-cubango, which have been calm so far.
(end/ips/trd/so/md-da/kb/92)
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