US to Savimbi: Give Up The Struggle

A senior US official called in late 2000 on Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi to abandon his guerrilla struggle and bring lasting peace to his resource-rich but war-torn country. This is from an interview with then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Witney Schneidman in October 2000.

Mr. Schneidman acknowledges that UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi has been discredited by his failure to live up to the terms of Angola's 1994 peace agreement and his role in the perpetuation of the country's long and bloody civil war.

But in an interview at his State Department office in Washington, Mr. Schneidman suggests there may still be a role for Mr. Savimbi to play in Angola --- provided he first agrees that his UNITA rebels will lay down their weapons. Mr. Schneidman says that is the only way forward if Angola is to enjoy peace.

“Come out of the bush and join the process --- join the process of economic reform, join the process of political reform, join the process of improving the lot of all people, join the process of having UNITA cadre get jobs, be able to invest in their futures, be able to look after the children with education and health care.”

Mr. Schneidman notes Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos has offered amnesty to the rebel leader if UNITA lays down its weapons. He also notes Mr. Dos Santos has announced his intention to hold national elections, possibly next year. [Eds note: he didn’t quite make it. They are scheduled for September 2008.]

But asked if Mr. Savimbi could stand as a candidate, Mr. Schneidman is equivocal.

“That would be up to the Angolan people to decide.”

In a new communiqué, UNITA says there can be no elections unless there are negotiations to end the civil war. But the senior State Department official says Mr. Savimbi should not hold out hope for fresh negotiations to revise the terms of Angola's 1994 United Nations-backed peace agreement, known as the Lusaka accord.

“You know, I don't think anybody wants to revive the peace process per se in terms of going to another round of negotiations where we invest a lot of diplomatic energy onsomething... that Savimbi won't honor in the final analysis. There's a clear path that's spelled out of what Savimbi needs to do, of where Angolan society should head, and I think there's complete agreement on that...”

The peace process in Angola collapsed, and full-scale fighting resumed two years ago, after UNITA failed to implement provisions of the peace pact. The government ruled out any further negotiations with Mr. Savimbi, and launched a major offensive aimed at wiping out the rebel movement.

But the rebels continue to wage a guerrilla struggle. In a telephone interview last week, a top UNITA official said government forces will never succeed in destroying the rebels.

US authorities have rejected Angolan government requests for assistance in helping locate the fugitive rebel leader, who has been forced from UNITA's traditional strongholds in the country's Central Highlands.

In his interview, Mr. Schneidman says the United States remains convinced there cannot be a military solution to the conflict.

Angola has been ravaged by fighting almost continuously since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Although rich in oil, diamonds and other resources, analysts say most of the profits have been spent on military hardware or diverted by corrupt officials. Most ordinary Angolans are mired in poverty.