Angolan troops begin pull-out

Angola's remaining 1,500 troops backing President Denis Sassou-Nguesso in the Republic of Congo (ROC) began to pull out on Monday, thereby ending a five-year presence in the country, according to ROC Deputy Defence Minister Yvon Ndolou. "Our mission has been accomplished," Lt-Gen Fernando Joao da Rosa, commander of the Angolan military contingent, said. Its original mission, which started in June 1997, was to support the forces loyal to Sassou-Nguesso against those of the then president, Pascal Lissouba, and his prime minister, Bernard Kolelas. In October 1997, Sassou-Nguesso's forces, assisted by those of the Angolan contingent, seized control of the capital, Brazzaville, and the strategic port of Pointe-Noire. Lissouba was ousted from the presidential palace, while Kolelas fled to Burkina Faso. Sassou-Nguesso was then installed as president, having forcibly retaken the office he had lost in the 1992 presidential election. A military aid accord between Brazzaville and Luanda was signed in November, thereby formalising the Angolan military presence in the ROC. At the onset of its intervention, Angola justified its presence in the ROC by asserting that Lissouba was supporting UNITA rebel forces against the Luanda government, as well as anti-government forces in the oil-rich Angolan enclave of Cabinda. A military official in Brazzaville said Angola's military strength had peaked at 2,500, but 1,000 of these had gone home in 1999. The current four-day withdrawal operation is being conducted by the Angolan air force, shuttling between Brazzaville and Luanda.