Human rights abuses continue unabated, NGO report

Human rights abuses in the northern enclave of Cabinda continue unabated despite greater international attention, Angolan activists have claimed. According to a recent report published by the Ad-hoc Commission for Human Rights in Cabinda - a group of lawyers, academics and civic activists - institutions responsible for addressing human rights abuses in Angola have "preferred to remain largely silent on the issue of Cabinda" for political reasons. The report, "A Year of Pain", contains 30 pages of testimony of alleged abuses, including murders, disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture, carried out largely by the Angolan army (FAA). Separatists in the oil-rich province have been battling government troops since independence in 1975. "[The latest report] indicates that little has changed. Summary killings, rape, torture, and illegal detentions remain commonplace. The region remains under de facto military rule, with FAA encampments set up every two or three kilometres along the main roads throughout Cabinda. FAA Soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes but bearing automatic weapons, are a common sight along public roads," the commission said. In October 2002, the government stepped up its military offensive against FLEC guerrillas in Cabinda. The commission published a 20-page report at that time, which chronicled the effect of the offensive on Cabinda's civilian population. Although the FAA's ongoing military campaign in the province is now more than a year old, the report noted that the separatists had not been pacified: "Despite the destruction of FLEC command structures and military assets, small, mobile bands of guerrillas remain active in Cabinda's densely forested areas." The commission said a troubling issue, elicited during testimonies, was FAA's use of civilians as 'guides'. According to the report, individuals were held captive and ordered to show FAA soldiers where the FLEC bases were located. "In addition to violating the rights of civilians who deny having any links to FLEC, this tactic sows division among local communities by creating the impression that the individuals forced to be 'guides' are FAA collaborators," the commission said. Moreover, there was growing concern over incidence of sexual abuse. The report claimed that children were among those who have been subjected to physical and sexual abuse by soldiers. Fear of harassment by FAA has affected the livelihoods and food security among the rural population. "Some Cabindans, especially those in rural areas, are afraid to pursue the livelihoods that ensure their existence. Growing numbers of villagers are suffering from hunger in a region that is rich in natural resources," the report observed. The government has stressed that any acts of abuse have been committed by individual soldiers, rather than as part of deliberate policy. The commission noted that a military solution had failed to bring peace to the province and, therefore, called for an immediate ceasefire. They also recommended the release of all civilians currently held in "illegal captivity", or that they be handed over to the civilian authorities for trial by due legal process. The Angolan authorities were encouraged to engage in meaningful and transparent dialogue with the leadership of FLEC as well as with civic leaders in Cabinda. Talks between the government and the leaders of FLEC's various factions have so far been limited, and without tangible results. The commission noted that there have been no attempts to initiate dialogue between the government and civilians. More on the conflict in Cabinda