"We call on the international community to support the aspirations of the people of Cabinda and recognize our self-determination and independence," said José Luís Luemba Veras, member of the High Council of Cabinda, an organization that advocates for the creation of the Republic of Cabinda, at a press conference in Brussels.
On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the creation of FLEC-FLAC, José Luís Luemba Veras denounced the "life of misery of the population" of that coastal province, which is part of Angola, as well as the "arrests and murders" within a region that was "of vital importance to the Portuguese colonial regime" and is now exploited for "oil exports" by the MPLA government.
Arão Bula Tempo, a human rights lawyer and independence activist, also considered that "nothing has changed in Cabinda" and called for the intervention of the international community to "achieve the aspirations of our ancestors."
The activist demanded not only recognition of Cabinda's independence but also accountability from the colonizing countries, whose past actions led to the region's integration into Angola.
"The EU, Portugal, Belgium, and France are witnesses to Cabinda's right [to independence], they cannot be innocent," he criticized, considering that the countries that colonized it in the past "now do not want to listen" to the people of that province, preferring to "give priority to Angola."
Arão Bula Tempo insisted that "those in need seek strength to free themselves."
FLEC spokesperson Jean-Claude Nzita told Lusa that "the time has come" to recognize Cabinda's independence: "We are not asking for charity, but we demand justice in the Cabinda issue."
Considering Cabinda to be "the last colony in Africa," the FLEC spokesperson said that the territory's population, "bearers of their own identity, a distinct history, and a clear will, cannot continue to be marginalized."
"Angola continues to deny our existence as a nation by maintaining a military presence in our territory," he denounced, arguing that the EU and the United States of America should fight for Cabinda to have the "fundamental right to exist freely, in peace, and to decide its own future."
FLEC-FAC has been demanding independence for several years for the territory of Cabinda (bordered to the north by the Republic of Congo, to the east and south by the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean), from which much of the country's oil originates, citing the 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco, which designated that portion of the territory as a Portuguese protectorate.
