US lifts travel ban on UNITA

UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva on Monday welcomed an official announcement by the United States that lifts a five-year travel ban on members of the former rebel group. US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the move in the Federal Register, a government gazette, Agence France Presse reported on Thursday. "I hereby make the determination ... that the suspension of entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of senior officials of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and adult dependents of their immediate families is no longer necessary," Powell reportedly said. The US travel restrictions were imposed in 1997 after the rebel group failed to comply with a peace deal. However, since the end of the civil war in 2002, the US has backed the lifting of sanctions against UNITA. The UN lifted its arms and oil embargo, introduced in 1993, in December 2002. "This formal announcement signals to us that the US has recognised the efforts of UNITA in the process of consolidating peace in Angola. The end to these travel restrictions frees up our members, who are working hard to raise UNITA's profile in the US," Samakuva told IRIN. UNITA's transformation from a guerrilla group to a credible political party remains a key challenge for its leadership, with countrywide elections expected within the next two years. "Our transformation cannot happen overnight, especially because we find ourselves, at times, in difficult situations. There are reports coming in from all over the country that our members are experiencing resistance from MPLA (ruling party) supporters. Our members find that they are unable to set up the provincial offices because of this interference," Samakuva said. He accused the government of side-stepping the issue. "We have made our concerns known to the authorities, but we have not received any formal recognition that they acknowledge that the harassment is not good for peace-building." In August this year UNITA reported an attack on two of its regional offices in central Huambo province. Five UNITA officials were injured in the incident, apparently by armed youths wearing T-shirts with the ruling MPLA party slogan. Meanwhile, the plight of thousands of ex-UNITA soldiers is causing ongoing concern. According to Samakuva a "significant" number of former combatants have not yet received their benefits. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed in April 2002 between UNITA and the government, ex-UNITA soldiers were to receive five months of salary and access to vocational training, among other benefits. "The reintegration process has been slow and frustrating. On a daily basis we get complaints from these combatants, who are tired of waiting for these benefits, Sakala said.