Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Zambia

Angolan-bound plane impounded

    JOHANNESBURG

    A cargo plane that landed in Lusaka from Uganda en route to rebel-held territory in Angola was impounded by Zambian authorities last week together with its crew of nine Ukrainians and a South African, a Zambian government official told IRIN on Tuesday.

    News reports said the Ukrainian plane was supposed to load oil for tankers for the UNITA rebel movement. "The plane was empty when it was impounded and we are investigating the crew's mission and their suppliers," said the official who declined further comment.

    News reports said the oil was to have been flown from South Africa because UNITA's alledged Zambian sources had been unable to supply any oil since the country's sole Indeni oil refinery in the Copperbelt was gutted by fire in May. The reports added that some Zambian businessmen had been exporting oil to UNITA through northwestern and western Zambia from the refinery.

    Relations between Zambia and its neighbour Angola have been strained in recent months following charges by the embattled Angolan government that Lusaka officials been involved in gun running to UNITA.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join