Army suspends operations

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said at the weekend that his country’s armed forces (FAA) had temporarily suspended operations against Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA rebels following what he called the destruction of the rebel movement’s conventional capabilities.

Speaking on Angolan television, Dos Santos said the military situation is under the FAA’s control and they are taking advantage of this period to adapt the army’s fighting methods against UNITA. “There has been a favourable improvement in the government’s forces, especially in areas where there are heightened conflicts,” said Dos Santos.

Dos Santos added: “We are adapting our forces and methods to correspond with the new type of guerrilla warfare which is being exercised all over Angola. I am convinced that once this adaptation process is over, the area in which guerrilla warfare is practised will be limited and we will gain control of all the frontiers.”

Dos Santos was speaking after a meeting with Xanana Gusmao, chairman of the Timorese National Resistance Council (CNRT). Gusmao was on a four-hour visit to Angola, from where he left for Mozambique as part of a tour which took him first to Portugal and will end in Brazil.