Government accuses opposition of hypocrisy

A senior Angolan minister has condemned “dubious” elements within the parliamentary opposition for allegedly remaining loyal to rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, after calls by some deputies in the national assembly for dialogue with UNITA as the only sustainable path to peace.

After two weeks of debate on the government’s budget, and an economic and social plan, 42 opposition deputies including members of UNITA-Renovada, a splinter group opposed to Savimbi, voted against the government. The bills, however, easily passed with 119 votes, but the government has been critical of the “hypocrisy” and “cynicism” of the opposition’s calls for a peace settlement that would include Savimbi.

“During the debates, several deputies expressed concern about the war and the peace. They spoke of how important reaching peace is for the execution of all our programmes. We are perfectly in accord but a problem stands: its seems not all of us want the same peace,” Home Affairs Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos said this week.

In recent weeks, UNITA-Renovada leaders have also been increasingly vocal over what they described as an “unfinished” Lusaka peace process, and an alleged campaign of political intimidation in the provinces by the ruling MPLA. They have complained that UNITA governorships and embassy slots guaranteed under the 1994 Lusaka peace process remain unfilled, and their followers have been harassed by the authorities. One political source told IRIN that in the countryside, little distinction is made between UNITA and UNITA-Renovada, particularly in areas where Savimbi’s forces are active.