Africa Notes: Angola in Transition: The Cabinda Factor - June 1992

In accordance with the Portuguese-mediated agreement signed by leaders of the governing Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola – Partido do Trabalho (MPLA) .and the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNIT A) in May 1991, the 16-year civil war that erupted in Angola as the country achieved independent statehood in 1975 has ended. Efforts to implement the second priority mandated in the agreement-national elections by late 1992-are being assisted by a range of international actors, including the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and Portugal. More than 12 parties are likely to participate in the elections (scheduled for September 29 and 30, 1992). The process of achieving a third key element of the agreement-demobilization of three-fourths of the two armies and integration of the remaining soldiers into a 50,000-strong national force-seems unlikely to conclude before elections are held.

Shawn McCormick