Angola rebels attack Uige

Savimbi says Unita will continue its guerrilla activities

By Justin Pearce in Luanda

Angolan rebels attacked the provincial capital of Uige, 250 km (150 miles) northeast of the capital Luanda, on Tuesday and managed to enter the city for a few hours.

Heavy fighting broke out as the Angolan Armed Forces battled to keep control of the town.

There have been frequent reports of Unita activity in northern Angola these last few months.

But it has been some time since the rebels managed to stage an assault on such an important town.

The last such occasion was early last month, when Unita soldiers attacked Caxito, the capital of neighbouring Bengo province, killing hundreds of people and abducting 60 children.

Details of the battle are still sketchy. But independent sources in the town say 10 Unita fighters and one Angolan army soldier were killed, before Unita was driven out. There are no reports of civilian casualties.

Sporadic shooting was still being heard on the outskirts of the city at 1100 local time (1000 GMT), while the town itself was teeming with government troops.

Airports closed

The airport at Uige has been closed to civilian flights for some time, but aid flights to the nearby airport of Negage have now also been suspended, as a result of the fighting.

Last week, the army succeeded in winning back territory in the east of Uige province, which the rebels had used as a base for 10 years. But this new attack demonstrates that Unita still has guerrilla capabilities in the west of the province.

The incident came shortly after Angola's defence minister said his government had no choice but to continue on the path of war in order to secure peace in Angola.

Speaking during a meeting of Angola and Namibia's joint security commission, Defence Minister Kundi Paihama said Angola was obliged to wage war in response to Unita's actions.

Unita, for its part, says the Angolan Government must be the first to call a ceasefire.