At issue is the presentation, in recent days, of reports from Public Television of Angola (TPA) in which alleged bones of victims of leaders of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) were shown, as part of the work of the Commission for the Implementation of the Reconciliation Plan in Memory of the Victims of Political Conflicts (Civicop).
In reaction, the leader of UNITA, Adalberto Costa Júnior, accused the Angolan intelligence services of kidnapping Civicop, considering the presentation of the alleged bones of victims of leaders of the political organization founded by Jonas Savimbi as a "farce", "a coup of theater", designed to divert attention from the process of dismissal of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, announced by UNITA.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the president of the 27 de Maio Foundation, Silva Mateus, a member of Civicop, considered that UNITA is within its right to complain, because its representatives on the commission were not notified.
"What is happening is a kind of continuation of the fight between the MPLA and UNITA. The MPLA Government tries to impose issues on UNITA and the late Savimbi, when it is already a different direction, these are things in the past", he said.
Silva Mateus advises against UNITA abandoning Civicop, defending its presence to "put pressure on and discuss these things, on an equal footing".
"This issue of abandoning the commission, we don't agree, that's how they say in politics: doing politics with an empty chair. We also have our problems, but we've been holding on", he stressed.
According to Silva Mateus, the 27 de Maio Foundation sees this situation "as an internal struggle between the MPLA and UNITA", which "does not help" the process of reconciliation between Angolans, calling at this time for the resolution of this issue "with serenity, discernment, calm and interaction" between the parties, stressing that the foundation "does not get involved in this fight".
"Some killed, some didn't kill, some did, some didn't, but overall everyone killed," he said.
On Tuesday, Adalberto Costa Júnior condemned the instrumentalization of the TPA by the "intelligence" services of the Angolan regime, supported by the MPLA, accusing the head of the State Intelligence and Security Service (SINSE), Fernando Miala, to use the commission as part of a "personal agenda" for political advancement.
The UNITA leader suggested the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, similar to South Africa, which investigated crimes committed during the 'apartheid' regime, from March 1960 to May 1994, "without propaganda offices".
"UNITA conditions its participation in Civicop by returning to the purposes of its creation and re-embracing the methodology approved for its operation. Peace and reconciliation", said Adalberto Costa Júnior.
Civicop was created in 2019 by President João Lourenço, to pay homage to the victims of the political conflicts that occurred in Angola between November 11, 1975, independence day, and April 4, 2002, the year in which the country achieved peace.
