'Terror in Cabinda', NGO report

Human rights activists in Angola have released details of widespread allegations of human rights abuses in the northern enclave of Cabinda, where the Angolan government recently renewed its military campaign against separatist rebels in the oil-rich territory.

The report titled, 'Terror in Cabinda', contains 20 pages of testimonies of alleged abuses including summary executions, murders, disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, rape and looting.

"One of the most noteworthy aspects of the conflict in Cabinda is the persistent violation of human rights," argues the report, published by the Ad-hoc Commission for Human Rights in Cabinda, a group of lawyers, academics and civic activists.

"This report intends to draw the attention of the government officials and army, of the guerrillas and of national and international public opinion to the urgency of bringing an end to the barbarity seen in Cabinda," the report said.

In one incident reported in November 2002, 30 villagers were said to have died during an air attack by an army helicopter. In the same month, a 16-year-old girl is said to have been gang raped by 14 soldiers.

Although the report covers alleged abuses both by the Angolan security forces and by the separatist Front for the Liberation of the Cabinda Enclave (FLEC), the overwhelming number of accusations are made against government forces.

Rafael Marques, co-ordinator and editor of the report, insisted that this did not reflect a political bias, but rather the realities of the present situation, where FLEC is on the run from a renewed government offensive.

"The military build up now is over 20,000 solders - one cannot compare this with a group of ragtag guerrillas who have not had any foreign military aid in ages," he told IRIN.

Many of the testimonies are from people who felt they were suspected of supporting the rebels, and consequently being victimised by the security forces. In another incident reported during November, 53-year-old farmer João Rodrigues "was brutally beaten by elements in the military police, who demanded information on guerrilla movements in the area".

"FLEC's men had ambushed an Angolan Armed Forces vehicle, and, as a result, some villagers were forced to flee. Rodrigues was found dead by his relatives three days later, in the bush near the village," the report continued.

The report also pointed a finger at the petroleum multinational Chevron Texaco, the biggest oil company operating in the enclave. It alleged that the company allowed police to interrogate a suspect on ChevronTexaco premises.

"ChevronTexaco must put an end to its complicity in allowing police interrogations in the oil compound at Malongo," the report said.

President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has in recent months voiced support for a peaceful settlement in Cabinda. The report argued that it was time for the government to cease hostilities.

"The government must adopt a position in keeping with the policy statements of President Dos Santos and other high-ranking officials of the MPLA [ruling party] to resolve the conflict in Cabinda by means of inclusive and direct dialogue," the document said.

The report called on FLEC to collaborate with the government in efforts aimed at attaining a peaceful settlement, and urged the international community to face up to its responsibilities.

"The United Nations, as mediator in the recently-ended Angolan peace process, share moral responsibility for the silence surrounding the continued war in Cabinda," the document argued.

"Countries like the United States, France, Italy and Portugal, whose multinationals operate in Cabinda, must adopt a position more respectful in terms of the lives of local populations," the report added.