Angola prepares for final Congo withdrawal

The Angolan army is expected to begin its final withdrawal from Congo-Brazzaville on Monday.

The defence ministers of Angola and Congo attended a ceremony in Brazzaville on Sunday to mark the pull-out of the more than 1,000 Angolan soldiers still deployed in Congo.

About 800 soldiers are leaving for Luanda today - 700 more are due to withdraw by the end of the week.

Angola sent troops to neighbouring Congo in 1997 to support Denis Sassou Nguesso in the civil war he was fighting against his rival, former President Pascal Lissouba.

Mr Sassou Nguesso, who won the war, was elected president in March.

The Angolan Government said its intervention was aimed at preventing Unita rebels from using Congo as a base. The Angolan Government and Unita have signed a peace agreement earlier this year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service