UNITA welcomes lifting of sanctions

Angola's former rebel group UNITA on Tuesday welcomed a decision by the UN Security Council to lift all remaining sanctions against it, saying the move would further cement peace efforts in the country. The 15-member Security Council on Monday voted unanimously to lift the sanctions, first imposed in 1993, in the hopes of forcing the rebels to end fighting that began after Angola won independence from Portugal in 1975. In the resolution, the Security Council reaffirmed "its commitment to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Angola". It also welcomed steps taken by both sides to implement a UN-brokered peace agreement that was passed in 1994 but later fell apart when the two sides returned to war in 1998. The government and UNITA finally signed a peace deal on 4 April 2002 ending almost three decades of civil war. Sanctions imposed included bans on illicit diamond mining and sales of arms and fuel oil. The travel ban was lifted by the Council in October. "Eventually justice has been done. It is only right that sanctions have been lifted because we have fulfilled all the necessary obligations," UNITA spokesman Marcial Dachala told IRIN. "UNITA is now free to organise itself as a political party and move forward. There is a lot of work to be done. Most of our infrastructure was destroyed in the war, so it's time to rebuild and restore peace in the country," he added.