According to the FLEC-FAC statement, the clashes took place this Friday at around 5am in the village of Bonde-Grande, municipality of Cacongo, when Angolan soldiers "tried to repel the two FAC platoons".
During the fighting, 22 men died and Angolan soldiers killed three civilians, including a son of the traditional chief of the Bonde-Grande village.
In the same statement, the FAC issues an ultimatum to the governor of Cabinda, Mara Quiosa, to withdraw "before the assault on Tchiowa", the name by which the city of Cabinda is also known.
10 days ago, FLEC-FAC reported the deaths of 12 Angolan soldiers in clashes and announced more attacks.
FLEC has been fighting for the independence of the territory, from where much of the country's oil comes, for several years, claiming that the enclave was a Portuguese protectorate – as established in the Treaty of Simulambuco, signed in 1885 – and not an integral part of the Angolan territory.
The Government normally refuses to recognize the existence of dead soldiers resulting from guerrilla actions by independence activists, or any situation of instability in that province in the north of the country, always emphasizing the unity of the territory.
