Angola today celebrates 20 consecutive years of peace, the most prized conquest of this African nation after gaining independence from Portuguese colonialism in 1975.
After 27 years of civil war, the government led by the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola and the Unita opposition forces agreed on April 4, 2002 to end the armed confrontation.
In the annals of history, the date was entered as a day of peace and national reconciliation, commemorating the signing of a memorandum of understanding supplementing the Lusaka Protocol that ended the conflict in 2002.
The first treaty was signed on November 20, 1994 in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, but without achieving the desired goals as the insurgents ignored the result of the 1992 general election and continued the dispute by military means.
In general, the civil war that followed the Declaration of Independence (November 11, 1975) left a tally of more than 500,000 dead and four million displaced by 2002, according to documents of the time.
Thanks to an ecumenical initiative, yesterday Luanda was the scene of a thanksgiving service for 20 years of peace and reconciliation, with the support of various personalities, including the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
At the ceremony, on behalf of the Executive, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Filipe Zau, reiterated that peace is the most obvious sign of progress, which as a basis for political stability and the country’s socio-economic development interest promote investment with domestic and foreign capital.
According to Lourenço, former President José Eduardo dos Santos deserves special credit in assessing the peace process because he was able to correctly read and interpret the sentiments of Angolans who seek to embrace the fraternal embrace of peace and forgiveness among brothers , sons of the same mother, Angola.
The two greatest achievements achieved here were undoubtedly independence from Portuguese colonialism and peace and national reconciliation, the president appreciated in a speech he delivered last Saturday.
The post-independence war was responsible for the death and maiming of thousands of compatriots and the destruction of infrastructure, he recalled.
In his opinion, all differences and contradictions between the various political and social actors must be resolved through an open and transparent dialogue or through the competent judicial authorities if there are strong indications of legal violations.
Political parties have a duty to educate their militants and sympathizers to behave in a polite and patriotic manner, Lourenço explained, referring directly to the current scenario, characterized by the proximity of the general elections scheduled for August.