From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ANGOLA: TENSION MOUNTING IN CABINDA AS ELECTIONS APPROACH
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 21:43:20 GMT

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: TENSION MOUNTING IN CABINDA AS ELECTIONS APPROACH


an inter press service feature

by vicki finkel

cabinda, angola, sep 25 (ips) -- as the campaign hots up for
angola's first democratic elections sep. 29-30, president jose
eduardo dos santos has received a chilly welcome in the northern
enclave of cabinda.

when he arrived in the oil-rich enclave thursday, only about
100 people turned out to attend his campaign rally, in sharp
contrast to the huge, responsive crowds he has attracted in
other provinces.

the ''armed forces'' of the separatist front for the
liberation of the cabinda enclave (flec/fac) -- fighting for
independence from the rest of angola -- declared cabinda war
zone from sep. 5 to oct. 30.

''we have no interest in the president here. the president
and his ruling party do not satisfy our needs and we demand the
total independence of cabinda'', says 27-year-old cabindan
samuel conde.

conde echoes the sentiments of the majority of cambindans
whose province produces about 90 percent of the country's
petroleum.

oil was the government's greatest source of finance for the
16-year war against its traditional rival, the national union
for the total independence of angola (umita).

however, the province only receives about one percent of the
benefits of its oil riches.

''the population here lives in total misery'', says cabinda
bishop paulinho fernandes madeka.

speaking in cabinda, the president, who is a trained
petroleum engineer, admitted that angola was forced to divert
cabinda's resources to defend the country.

''we were in war for a long time and had to use cabinda's
resources to organise our defence'', he says.

but cabindans do not even consider themselves angolans, and,
physically, the enclave is separated from the rest of the
country by a narrow strip of zairean territory.

asked if he has registered to vote, conde says: ''if i were
angolan i would be able to register and vote, but i am
cabindan''.


angola: tension (2)

cabinda's 30-year quest for independence has continued to
complicate the peace process intitiated by the signing of a
cease-fire agreement between the ruling popular movement for the
liberation of angola (mpla) and unita, which is by jonas
savimbi.

cabinda has had the poorest electoral registration rate of
the country's 18 provinces. only about 19 percent of the
anticipated 84,000 people in cabinda are registered. the
majority of the registered are government soldiers based in the
province.

meanwhile, flec/fac has called for a boycott of the
elections.

''everyone who stays at home on the voting days will be
voting for the independence of cabinda, and everyone who goes to
the polls will be voting for the continuation of the domination
of angola and the continuation of our suffering'', states a
clandestinely-distributed flec declaration.

flec has been launching violent attacks in the province,
often targetting government troops.

''but flec often attacks soldiers and it is the people who
get caught in between and suffer'', says madeka. whole villages
are fleeing their homes in fear, adds madeka.

maria de fatima, a mother of six, is one of the hundreds who
are leaving cabinda for the election period, and is waiting at
the cabinda port for a ride out of what she expects to be a
violent period in cabinda.

''flec is saying they do not want angolans here, and we have
been threatened many times'', says fatima, who came from the
neighbouring province of zaire in 1969 when her husband began
working for the cabinda gulf oil company here.

government soldiers are also fearful of staying in the tense
province. ''flec know if you are not from cabinda, if you do not
speak fiote, the local language'', says manuel cordeiro.

cordeiro is a 23-year-old government soldier who plans to
leave for his home province of namibe before the voting.

''if i stay here, flec will cut my ear off and i will not be
able to vote'', he adds.

while he does not want to see any more war in the country,
the government may have to defend itself against flec attacks,
says president dos santos.

''we do not want to create war, but we also do not want to
have deaths here'', says dos santos. (end/ips/vf/tvh/92)