Samakuva criticises treatment of UNITA ex-soldiers

A senior UNITA member, Isiais Samakuva, told IRIN on Thursday that the main challenges for the former rebel movement were to choose a new leader, and the demobilisation and reintegration of its ex-combatants.

"Now that all the factions are united under one umbrella body, we can move forward and consolidate our support. At the moment we have a temporary leadership but we will have to hold a party congress which we are thinking should be held around May or June this year," Samakuva said in an interview.

"Secondly, and no less important, is the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-UNITA combatants into civilian life. We have thousands of them and they are going through a very difficult time at the moment. It is important that we consider all avenues to address their situation."

Samakuva, UNITA's former representative in Paris, is seen as one of the front-runners in UNITA's leadership race.

He said the government "had not gone far enough" in providing vocational training to prepare the former UNITA soldiers for resettlement, and also condemned the reported forced closure of some of the reception camps.

"The deadline for the closure of the reception areas is now scheduled for after the rainy season around April/May and yet many camps have been closed already. Many people were forcibly removed from the quartering areas. This is a fact despite government denials. Many people were simply put on trucks and dropped off in unknown locations. What were the intentions behind this remains to be seen."

He added: "Arguments that suggest that the camps were becoming some kind of ghetto for UNITA are baseless. We do not need camps to reorganise. Every UNITA soldier that leaves one of these camps and resettles in some other part of the country will sow a seed for the UNITA cause."

For the full interview