UNITA calls for Savimbi reburial

Angola's former rebel group on Wednesday said it was seeking permission from the government to rebury its fallen leader Jonas Savimbi, almost a year after he was killed by government forces. Savimbi, for many the symbol of Angola's troubles, was finally cornered and killed on 22 February in the eastern province of Moxico. He was first buried in the town of Lucusse, near the Zambian border in southeastern Angola, but locals objected to having his grave in their village and the former rebel leader was later reburied in Luena, a provincial city 100-km from Lucusse. UNITA now wants Savimbi to be exhumed and reburied in Lopitango, a village near UNITA's former stronghold of Andulo, 400-km southeast of the capital Luanda. "The reburial of Comrade Savimbi is important for national reconciliation. Now that the war is over we must treat our wounds of the past. It is important that we restore some dignity to our leader. UNITA's request is also that all of those who died during fighting since 1992 should have their bodies returned to their families and given proper burials with the dignity they deserve," UNITA secretary for foreign affairs, Alcides Sakala, told IRIN. After losing a UN-monitored election in 1992, UNITA returned to war, claiming the poll was rigged. A peace agreement in 1994 fell apart largely because of Savimbi's refusal to abide by all its terms, and war resumed in 1998. The government has yet to respond to the request, although observers say the authorities in Luanda may be reluctant to agree to the move for fear of canonising the former leader. "Savimbi is already seen among many people as a freedom fighter in Angola. For most of his life he fought for democracy in this country. While we don't expect a favourable response from the government now, someday Comrade Savimbi will have a proper burial and given the status he deserves," Sakala said. UNITA is expected to hold a religious service in Luanda on Saturday, the first anniversary of Savimbi's death. Since Savimbi's passing there has been widespread speculation over who would lead UNITA forward to the country's elections, scheduled sometime between 2004-2006. The party is expected to hold a congress in May or June where it will choose a leader. Its current secretary-general, Paulo 'Gato' Lukamba, will not run for the party's leadership and political analysts say UNITA's former chief negotiator, Isaias Samakuva, is now the front-runner. Savimbi led UNITA from its birth as a liberation movement in 1966. After nine years of fighting Portuguese colonialism, he moved on to battle against the new Angolan government, following independence in 1975. During the Cold War, UNITA received the backing of apartheid South Africa and the United States. By the late 1990s its international support had fallen away, and the rebel movement was isolated and under UN sanctions.