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Churches decree 30-day fast for peace

    JOHANNESBURG

    Angola’s churches have “ordered” a month-long religious fast in the name of peace and called on the rebels to stop fighting and negotiate with the government, reports said on Wednesday. The Committee of Churches for Peace in Angola, a group which includes both a Christian and non-Christian membership, was due to issue the decree at midday on Wednesday in Luanda during a special ceremony.

    Meanwhile, the Angolan government said on Wednesday that the death toll in the 10 August train attack by UNITA had risen to 252. The independent Catholic radio station ‘Radio Eccelesia’ said that some of the dead were being buried in a mass grave near the ambush site. UNITA claimed in a statement that the train was carrying troops and munitions as it headed from the capital, Luanda, to the southern city of Dondo. A survivor told the Angolan state television station TPA that at least 50 soldiers were on board. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the attack and “this indefensible loss of life”.

    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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