Silva Mateus, a member of the Commission for Reconciliation in Memory of Victims of Political Conflicts, spoke to the press at the end of another meeting that served to take stock of the work in 2019.
The survivor of May 27, 1977, the date of an attempted coup d'état in Angola, said that of the proposals presented to the commission many were accepted, such as the construction of the memorial, the realization of the comba and other issues, but one is missing that is of great concern to the members, namely the military arrested on May 27.
"After being released they have never worked until now and are 50, 60 years old, the proposal is that these elements, after being screened and duly confirmed, should be inserted in the Angolan Armed Forces social fund or that another method be found to seek the subsidy until their death, this is one of the issues we are struggling with," he explained.
Another concern is the desire to see the foundation, with 4000 affiliates, among orphans, widows and family members, recognized as an institution of public utility, having the right to the General State Budget.
"Like other foundations. These are issues that will be given to the committee to deal with the matter and the committee to forward to those who by law, in the specific case of ex-military the General Staff of the FAA, the ministries of Defense, Finance, henceforth, but we believe that this process will have its beneficial end, because there is understanding, interaction, and above all yielding to some principles," he stressed.
Silva Mateus highlighted the information provided today by the coordinator of the committee regarding the meeting he held with "a delegation of former DISAS".
"We were very pleased to know that those we call killers, had to face up, appeared with the minister, the coordinator, saying that they will solve the problem, they are willing to collaborate, to open the process and say much that remains omitted until this moment", he stressed.
Regarding the process of recognition and certification of death of victims, Silva Mateus said that "it is a bit complicated, because it takes work of identification, then screening, DNA, to identify people.
"We are only attached to 11 people, who the State says have been tried, convicted and shot. If these 11 people, José Van-Dúnem, whose sister is the Minister of Justice of Portugal, spoke about it, and Edgar Vales, Sita Valles' brother - and here it seems to me that there is a green light - if these people are buried it would symbolize the burial of the 80,000 people who are scattered in mass graves throughout this Angola," he said.
