Angola slides towards war

ANGOLA moved nearer full-scale resumption of its 16-year civil war yesterday, with heavy fighting reported in the northern provincial capital of Uige and the nearby airbase at Negage between government troops and soldiers of Jonas Savimbi's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita).

United Nations sources said the fighting, which began early on Sunday, claimed the life of a Brazilian police officer working with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (Unavem). Heavy gunfire was reported to be continuing yesterday as Unita soldiers entered the centre of Uige, which is 150 miles from Luanda, the capital. A Unita spokesman, Jorge Valentim, claimed Uige had been captured. It was also reported that the Negage airbase had fallen. This would be of particular importance, for it would be a staging area for government efforts to unleash its formidable air force against Unita. Unita soldiers nominally control 60 per cent of the country, including two other northern provincial capitals, Caxito in Bengo province and N'dalatando in Cuanza Norte. The central provincial capital of Malanje appeared to be the next target in Unita's offensive.

The fighting came soon after a meeting in the southern town of Namibe between Unita and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos's ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) agreed a new truce.

The Brazilian was the first Unavem official to be killed since violence erupted last month after Mr Savimbi rejected results of general elections on 29-30 September. Mr Savimbi lost to Mr dos Santos by 40.07 to 49.7 per cent. Neither candidate got 50 per cent, so a second round of voting is needed. Mr Savimbi has accepted Unita's defeat by the MPLA in elections to the legislature, though he has repeated claims that Luanda rigged the polls. The UN said they were free and fair.

Yesterday the UN Security Council was scheduled to discuss plans to expand the organisation's role in Angola to help to prepare for a second round of presidential elections next year.

The current UN mandate expired yesterday, but it was expected to be extended temporarily until 30 January until the Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros- Ghali, officially renewed it.

Angola's new Prime Minister, Marcolino Mocko, was due yesterday to present his cabinet to Mr dos Santos. It was not clear if Mr Mocko would offer government posts to Unita, as he has to most of Angola's other 18 political parties. On Sunday Mr Savimbi said on radio that Unita would be prepared to join the cabinet but only at senior levels.