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Abidjan to withdraw passports from UNITA rebels

    JOHANNESBURG

    Abidjan will withdraw Ivorian passports given to Angolan rebels and their families, AFP reported on Friday. Côte D'Ivoire's Foreign Minister Aboudramane Sangare made the announcement in the Angolan capital Luanda on Thursday on a two-day visit. Before the installation of the present Ivorian government late last year, Angola had accused Côte D'Ivoire of backing UNITA rebels.

    Angolan foreign ministry spokesman Joao Pedro said Angolan nationals in Côte D'Ivoire "have all the right to return to the country by virtue of the amnesty law" passed in November and applicable to all citizens, including rebels. Sangare's visit is aimed at stepping up bilateral cooperation.

    According to an Angolan source, the two sides are also examining the prospect of a joint commission. UNITA has been fighting the formerly Marxist government in Luanda virtually unceasingly since independence from Portugal in 1975. The rebel movement is under UN sanctions, including a diamond trade embargo and travel restrictions on its leaders, but the war waged by hardliners led by Jonas Savimbi rages on.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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