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Paramilitary Groups: Luena Memorandum of Understanding

Implementations

Paramilitary Groups – 2002

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, UNITA consisted of some 100,000 troops and some 10,000 paramilitary members.¹

UNITA troops were given 45 days to turn themselves in and began to travel to the assembly points identified in the Luena Agreement. UNITA General Samuel Chiwale, a member of the Supreme Command of UNITA forces, instructed his troops to report to the assembly points in the Luena agreement immediately.²

From April to May, some 25,000 UNITA troops had turned themselves in to the demobilization camps. It was estimated that UNITA’s force size was around 55,000 at the time of the Luena Accord in April 2002.³

“Factfile on Angola,” Agence France Presse, April 2, 2003.
“UNITA Forces in Northern Front Begin Implementing Luena Accord,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, April 4, 2002.
“Angola Says 25,000 UNITA Rebels Now in Demob Camps,” Agence France Presse, May 3, 2002.

Paramilitary Groups – 2003

By the end of January, about 90,000 ex-soldiers had been registered in the assembly areas — 35,000 more troops than estimated.⁴

The government reported that 35 UNITA confinement areas, holding over 100,000 demobilized UNITA soldiers and their families, would be shut down by the end of February. Under the timeline of the Luena Memorandum of Understanding, the confinement areas would close by the end of 2002.⁵

“Angola: Demobilisation and Reintegration Obstacles Highlighted,” Africa News, February 13, 2003.
“Angola: UNITA Confinement Areas to Close Down by End of February,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, February 5, 2003.