Cabinda War Explained

Conflict:Cabinda War
Partof:the Angolan Civil War (until 2002)
Width:405px
Date:8 November 1975 – present
Place:Cabinda Province
Status:Ongoing
  • Ceasefire declared by FLEC-Renovada in August 2006
  • Ongoing guerilla warfare by FLEC-FAC
  • Unilateral ceasefire declared by Cabindan militias
    on 30 March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic
Combatant1: Angola
Cuba (until 1991)---- Democratic People's Republic of Angola (1991)
  • UNITA (joint operations, 1991)
Combatant2: FLEC
Commander1: João Lourenço (2017–present)
Agostinho Neto (1975–1979)
José Eduardo dos Santos
Fidel Castro (1976–2008)
Arnaldo Ochoa
Erich Honecker (1975–1989)
Leonid Brezhnev (1975–1982)
Commander2: António Bento Bembe
Henrique N'zita Tiago
Alexandre Builo Tati
Francisco Xavier Lubota
José Tiburcio Zinga Loemba
Strength1: 87,000 (2013)
2,000
4[1]
Strength2:300–7,000 in total (1975)
FLEC-Renovada: 500 (1991)
FLEC-N'zita: 200–300 (1991)
FLEC-FAC: 600 (1992)
Casualties3:~30,000 killed
25,000 displaced[2]

The Cabinda War is an ongoing separatist insurgency, waged by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) against the government of Angola. FLEC aims at the restoration of the self-proclaimed Republic of Cabinda, located within the borders of the Cabinda province of Angola.

Background

The first Western exploration of the area of modern-day Cabinda was undertaken by navigator Diogo Cão in 1483, later falling under Portuguese influence. In 1853 a delegation of Cabindan chiefs unsuccessfully requested the extension of Portuguese administration from the colony of Angola to Cabinda. Local chiefs continued their attempts at cooperating with Portugal until the 1884 Berlin Conference and the 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco, following which the Cabindan enclave became a Portuguese protectorate. Despite the fact that Cabinda held a semi independent status, a new Portuguese government elected in 1956 transferred the region's administration to Angola without a prior agreement with Cabinda's local leadership.

The first Cabindan separatist movement known as Associação dos Indígenas do Enclave de Cabinda (AlEC) was formed in 1956, AIEC advocated the creation of a union between Cabinda and Belgian Congo or French Congo. Associação dos Ressortissants do Enclave de Cabinda (AREC) was founded in 1959 as humanitarian organisation, AREC was renamed into Freedom Movement for the State of Cabinda (MLEC), shifting its role into a political movement promoting self-determination. The National Action Committee of the Cabindan People (CAUNC) and the Mayombé Alliance (ALLIAMA) joined the growing political scene in the same year. In 1963, MLEC, ALLIAMA and CAUNC merged into the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), which had since been the largest self-determination movement in the region.

On the same year, the Organisation of African Unity declared that Cabinda is an independently governed state with its own independence movement. On 10 January 1967, FLEC formed a government in exile based in the town of Tshela, Zaire. In August 1974, FLEC absorbed the Democratic Union of Cabindan Peoples and the Democratic Party of Cabinda, becoming the sole political organisation in Cabinda.

In January 1975 under pressure from Angolan liberation movements, Portugal accepted Cabinda as part of Angola in the Alvor Agreement where the 3 Angolan independence movements (MPLA, UNITA and FNLA) were present, denying Cabinda the right to self-determination previously granted by the U.N. Chart/Right to Self-determination and the Treaty of Simulambuco. On 1 August 1975, FLEC president Luis Ranque Franque announced the formation of the Republic of Cabinda, an independent state. The MPLA troops controlling the region at the time ignored the statement. In November 1975, Angola gained independence from Portugal, claiming Cabinda as part of its territory. The provisional Cabindan government, led by the FLEC, was overturned. On 8 November 1975, FLEC responded by initiating armed struggle, aiming at creating a separate Cabindan state.[3]

Conflict

In the course of the Angolan Civil War, FLEC split into five independent factions. FLEC-Posição Militar (FLEC-PM) was later renamedinto FLEC-Renovada (FLEC-R), FLEC-N'Zita, FLEC-Lubota, União Nacional de Libertação de Cabinda (UNLC) and the Communist Committee of Cabinda. As the war continued the MPLA led government attempted to gain the support of the various FLEC factions and enter negotiations. On the other hand, UNITA rebels directly collaborated with FLEC-FAC, while seeking to broaden its alliance with the group. The above did not stop UNITA from occasionally collaborating with MPLA in anti-FLEC operations. In 2002, the Angolan government signed a peace deal with UNITA officially ending the civil war.[4] [5]

Cuba, East Germany and the Soviet Union entered the civil war on MPLA's side in 1975, soon invading Cabinda.[6] According to U.S. intelligence services, France and Belgium allegedly supported FLEC by providing training and financial aid, despite the fact that Zaire remained FLEC's main foreign supporter. FLEC-Renovada received support from a number of US, South African and Japanese right wing organisations as well as the World League for Freedom and Democracy.In 1956, oil was first discovered in the region; by 1966, Gulf Oil Company began commercial exploitation. The large amounts of revenue generated by oil royalties contributed to the rise of Cabinda's geopolitical significance. By 1970, oil revenues amounted to $16 million and were expected to rise to $32–50 million by 1972. Oil continued to play an important role; by 2011 it represented approximately 86% of the Angolan state's total earnings. The marginalisation of the local population in favor of Portuguese and later Angolan interests played an important role in the rise of separatist militancy in the region.

On 18 July 2006, the Cabinda Forum for Dialogue (FCD) and FLEC-Renovada led by António Bento Bembe signed a second definite cease fire with the Angolan government known as the Memorandum of Understanding for Peace in Cabinda. The event took place in Macabi, Cabinda. The agreement assured Cabinda's status as a part of Angola, provided special economic status and local governance powers to Cabinda, and condemned further acts of insurgency and separatism. The treaty received criticism from Bembe's opponents within the movement. The peace accord marked a sharp decrease in the conflict's intensity.

According to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, Cabinda is under military occupation,[7] reinforced in recent times by Angolan forces.[8] This was especially true after the Togo national football team was attacked by the FLEC, when Angola was hosting the 2010 African Cup of Nations. Rebel forces claimed it was a mistake.[9] In 2012, FLEC-FAC announced its readiness to declare a ceasefire and pursue a negotiated resolution to the conflict.[10]

International intervention in the conflict has been limited, with Portugal offering a mediation role and letting the FLEC rule a delegation in Lisbon.[11]

Timeline

1975–2006

2006–present

Human Rights Violations

According to a Human Rights Watch report, the Angolan military and secret service have committed a number of human rights violations during the conflict. The report indicates that between September 2007 and March 2009, 38 people were arbitrary detained, tortured, humiliated and later put on trial for alleged security crimes. The arrested included six members of the Angolan military who were charged with desertion and carrying out armed attacks, as well as a former Voice of America journalist, known for his criticism of the government. The detainees were denied contact with legal professionals or their families for prolonged periods of time. The above are considered to be a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[25] [26] [27] A Bertelsmann Stiftung investigation covering the period between 2011 and 2013, indicated that systematic human rights violations have taken place, with journalists, civil rights activists and clergy members receiving harassment after being accused of supporting FLEC.Reports by Freedom House, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Human Rights Watch also pointed out violations committed by FLEC.[28]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Angola. Defence Web. 5 February 2013. 25 April 2015.
  2. Web site: Angola-Cabinda (1994–2006). Project Ploughshares. 26 February 2015.
  3. Web site: Cabinda. John Pike. Global Security. 23 January 2015.
  4. Web site: Angola: Information on an anti-government group called Frente Liberaccion d'Enclave Cabinda (FLEC). Refworld. 1 November 1995. 25 April 2015.
  5. Web site: ¿Qué pasa en... Cabinda?. África no es un país. 23 January 2015.
  6. Operation Carlota. Gabriel García Márquez. 1977. I/101–102 . 123–137 . 8 December 2023 . Marquez . Gabriel Garcia .
  7. http://www.unpo.org/content/view/2744/99/ UNPO Resolution Concerning the Cabinda Enclave
  8. Web site: Angola mantém presença militar reforçada em Cabinda. 23 January 2015.
  9. News: Togo footballers were attacked by mistake, Angolan rebels say. The Guardian. Sturcke . James. Myers . Paul. Smith . David. 2010-01-11.
  10. http://www.africareview.com/News/Angola-rebels-to-lay-down-arms/-/979180/1799340/-/vq04b6/-/index.html AfricaReview – Angola's Cabinda rebels to 'lay down arms'
  11. Web site: Procesos de Paz. Escola Pau. 2006. 24 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022857/http://escolapau.uab.cat/img/programas/procesos/06anuarie.pdf. 4 March 2016. dead.
  12. Web site: CSIS Africa Notes. CSIS. June 1992. 25 April 2015. 8 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208162411/http://csis.org/files/publication/anotes_0692.pdf. dead.
  13. Web site: Datas principais relacionadas com Cabinda. SAPO. 3 August 2013. 26 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151209000157/http://noticias.sapo.pt/internacional/artigo/datas-principais-relacionadas-com-cabinda_16485533.html. 9 December 2015. dead.
  14. Web site: Chronology for Cabinda in Angola. Minorities at Risk Project. 2004. 26 April 2015.
  15. Web site: FLEC-FAC confirma ocupação da principal base militar de Cabinda. Publico. 31 October 2002. 26 April 2015.
  16. Web site: ANGOP > Noticias > Politica. ANGOP. 2 January 2003. 26 April 2015.
  17. Web site: ANGOP > Noticias > Politica. ANGOP. 8 June 2003. 26 April 2015.
  18. Web site: ANGOP > Noticias > Politica. ANGOP. 29 November 2003. 26 April 2015.
  19. Web site: Cabinda: 52 Flec-Fac Rebels Presented To Press. ANGOP. 17 November 2004. 26 April 2015.
  20. Web site: Cabinda: Ex-FLEC Soldiers Join National Police. ANGOP. 11 December 2007. 26 April 2015.
  21. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-angola-war-cabinda/rebels-say-kill-nine-angolan-soldiers-in-oil-rich-cabinda-enclave-idUSKCN10926K Rebels say kill nine Angolan soldiers in oil-rich Cabinda enclave
  22. https://www.modernghana.com/news/993428/more-african-freedom-fighters-join-covid-19-cease.html More African Freedom Fighters Join COVID-19 Cease Fire
  23. https://www.plataformamedia.com/en/2020/06/24/the-people-of-cabinda-suffer-are-in-struggle-are-at-war/?lang=en
  24. https://www.macaubusiness.com/angola-cabinda-independence-fighters-claim-18-government-soldiers-killed
  25. Web site: They Put Me in the Hole Section 3. HRW. 22 June 2009. 26 April 2015.
  26. Web site: They Put Me in the Hole Section 7. HRW. 22 June 2009. 26 April 2015.
  27. Web site: They Put Me in the Hole Section 8. HRW. 22 June 2009. 26 April 2015.
  28. Web site: Treatment of persons from Cabinda. UK Home Office. January 2015. 26 April 2015.