CCISSA Southern Africa Response Network ACTION ALERT

Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa (CCISSA) alert from Feb. 10th communication from The Washington Office on Africa (WOA). The Action Alert asks people to send letters to Secretary of State Warren Christopher. The Action Alert says the situation in Angola is dire. Having lost the September elections, Jonas Savimbi and his UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) forces plunged the country back into full-scale war; as a result of UNITA'S latest round of attacks, over 16,000 people have been killed, thousands have fled UNITA-held areas, and over 1.4 million people currently face starvation; for almost two weeks now, UNITA has cut off the water supply to Luanda, the capital. The Action Alert says on 31 January 1993, the United Nations extended its mandate in Angola until April; however, the UN is considering a scale-down of its already modest force to below 100, which would leave Angolans at the mercy of UNITA forces currently poised to take military control over the country; UNITA has already seized 75% of the country, including much of the northern oil and diamond rich areas which has placed a stranglehold on the Angolan economy. The Action Alert says as indicated in the (article on the reverse side of this page), UNITA's current military offensive is being heavily assisted by South Africans, Zairians as well as white mercenaries; the Front-line States called an emergency meeting in December to protest South African de stabilization tactics, and Namibian authorities recently seized three South African planes attempting to ferry supplies to UNITA from the northern Namibian town of Rundu. The Action Alert says the Clinton administration has failed to recognize and shore up the newly-elected multiparty government; during his confirmation hearings, the new Secretary of State Warren Christopher agreed to take a cautious "wait and see" attitude towards diplomatic recognition of the elected government. The Action Alert says in an effort to respond to the current crisis in Angola, we urge you to write the new Secretary of State requesting the Clinton administration to: immediately recognize the recently elected Angolan government and establish full diplomatic relations; isolate Savimbi and UNITA until there is a definitive renunciation of violence and a commitment to peaceful political competition; support funding for a continued and expanded United Nations presence in Angola, adequate to facilitate full implementation of the peace process and runoff elections; investigate South African and Zairian intervention; and appropriate aid to the Angolan government for economic reconstruction. The Action Alert reprints a newspaper article "The Angolan imperative" by Victoria Brittain. The Action Alert discusses Cuito Cuanavale, British and American mercenaries, CIA-backed movements, FLNA, MPLA, Mobutu Sese Seko, the Caprivi Strip, Fernando Marcelino, David Bernardino, Texaco Elf, Fina, oil companies, the Secretary-General's special representative Margaret Anstee, Boutros Boutros Ghali, and Huambo.