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The United Nations has begun pulling its peacekeeping force back to the Angolan capital Luanda in preparation for its almost certain withdrawal from the country.
The move comes after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended that the Security Council terminate its military presence in Angola.
It follows a return to all out war between the Angolan Government and the Unita rebel movement.
The UN military observers pulled out of Luena, the provincial capital, effectively closing the force's headquarters in eastern Angola.
The observers smiled as they took souvenir photographs of each other. Fridges, video recorders and even a table tennis set were loaded on to a UN transport plane.
Full scale attack expected
Luena has been heavily reinforced by the Angolan Government. The latest attack by rebels from the Unita movement was on a village on the edge of the city.
Unita has Luena encircled. Its fighters are well within shelling range.
The city is overflowing with people from the countryside who fled the fighting. They expect Luena to be the target of a full scale Unita attack soon.
Other cities in the central highlands, like Huambo, Kuito and Malange, were also surrounded before they were shelled by Unita when all out war began last month.
Both Unita and the government are laying new mines around and inside Luena - already the most heavily mined area in one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Officially the Security Council has to vote on Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation that the UN's force be withdrawn.
But the military observers have no peace to oversee any longer and at a cost of more than $1.5bn, the mission is a costly failure.
Country profiles
UN to pull out of Angola
(18 Jan 99 | Africa)
Angolan Government calls up more men
(16 Jan 99 | Africa)
Ceremony for Angola plane victims
(09 Jan 99 | Africa)
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(05 Jan 99 | Africa)
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(27 Dec 98 | Africa)
UN mission in Angola
Republic of Angola
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