Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post
Newsgroups: americast.wpost
From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com
Organization: American Cybercasting
Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com
Subject: Angolan Opposition Troops on Move; Luanda Airport, Dozens of Towns Attacked as
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 92 08:47:18 EST
Message-ID: <24.1992Oct31.084718@AmeriCast.com>

Angolan Opposition Troops on Move; Luanda Airport, Dozens of
Towns Attacked as Peace Breaks Down<By John M. Goshko=Washington
Post Staff Writer=

Troops of Angola's opposition UNITA movement reportedly attacked
the airport in the capital, Luanda, and about a dozen towns yes-
terday, killing several people and threatening hopes of ending
the African nation's long civil war through U.S.-supported peace-
ful elections.

The clashes were the heaviest since UNITA, led by Jonas Savimbi,
ran a poor second to the ruling MPLA party of President Jose
Eduardo dos Santos in elections Sept. 29-30. Dos Santos fell just
short of the 50 percent vote he needed for a clear-cut victory.

Savimbi initially charged that the election results were fraudu-
lent and threatened to resume the civil war that had battered An-
gola throughout the 1980s.

But partially due to pressure from his old allies - the United
States and South Africa - he agreed to negotiate with the MPLA on
arrangements for a second-round runoff election.

U.S. officials said yesterday that the negotiations had appeared
to be going well and that yesterday's renewed fighting came as a
surprise. The State Department released a statement demanding
"the immediate cessation of all acts of violence and all offen-
sive military movements . . . leading Angola toward renewed civil
war."

"We are deeply concerned by the reports that UNITA is trying to
extend its authority over parts of Angolan territory," the
department said. "If true, this would represent a major breach of
the peace accords, which we would condemn. . . .  It is impera-
tive that President dos Santos and Dr. Savimbi hold a summit im-
mediately to overcome the current crisis. We will hold responsi-
ble any party which refuses to engage in dialogue to end this
crisis."

Senior U.S.  officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
they could not immediately confirm all the reports, including An-
golan government charges that at least 15 people were killed at
the airport. But they noted that Portugal, Angola's former colo-
nial ruler, had announced four of its citizens had been killed at
the airport.

The officials said UNITA had apparently sent some of its 30,000
fighters on the offensive in various parts of the country and the
attacks were well-coordinated.

They said the fighting was not likely the work of UNITA com-
manders operating independently but almost certainly involved the
complicity of Savimbi and the top UNITA leadership.

What remained unclear, the officials said, was whether UNITA -
short for the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
- had abandoned hope of winning power through the electoral pro-
cess and is now resuming the civil war.

A more likely possibility, the officials added, is that the of-
fensive represents a limited move aimed at extending UNITA's ter-
ritorial control and strengthening the group's hand in negotia-
tions for the electoral runoff.

There were initial reports that South Africa, which gave UNITA
arms and training during the years that MPLA was a Marxist Party,
had sent troops into southern Angola to aid Savimbi. However,
South African Foreign Minister Roloef "Pik" Botha denied any
South Africaan involvement.

During the 1980s, the United States also provided UNITA with sub-
stantial arms, including shoulder-fired Stinger antiaircraft mis-
siles. But after the MPLA abandoned its Marxist ideology and
agreed to a cease-fire leading to elections, the United States
switched to a neutral stance.

U.S. relations with Savimbi recently have been strained by alle-
gations that he ordered or acquiesced in the murder of some prom-
inent UNITA officials.

In a speech Thursday, Herman J. Cohen, assistant secretary of
state for African affairs, said, "There will be no U.S. support
of, or assistance to, any party which chooses to abandon the
electoral process and pursue violence."<02:21 10-31C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Cor-
poration (usa@AmeriCast.COM)