The discovery was made by the Commission for the implementation of the Reconciliation plan in Memory of the Victims of Political Conflicts (CIVICOP), more specifically in Luando, Tchanji. According to the TPA, among the remains are those of generals Armando Júlio (Tarzan), Altino Bango Sapalalo (Bock), Antero Vieira, António Perestelo Moura, as well as Ana Isabel Paulino Polipossa, better known as Ana Savimbi, one of the women of the former UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
In addition to these discoveries, the bones of a girl who was between 11 and 14 years old were also found at the site and whose identity is, for now, unknown.
The incident, which involved senior FALA officials, occurred following a military defeat suffered by the UNITA armed forces, more specifically on April 25, 2000, in the city of Cuito, Bié province. All these citizens were presumably murdered by Savimbi.
After having been working in Cuando Cubango, CIVICOP is now centralizing its searches in the province of Bié, always with the aim of finding the remains of victims of the political conflicts that took place in the country between 1975 and 2002. The searches are led by the coordinator of the organisation's security, logistics and infrastructure sub-committee, Fernando Garcia Miala.
It should be recalled that CIVICOP was created in April 2019 by the current President of the Republic, João Lourenço. Among its functions are the discovery of the remains of victims of political conflicts, as well as the issuing of death certificates and the construction of a memorial to honor all those who suffered as a result of these same conflicts.
