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Angola: Arms Trade and Violations of the Laws of War Since the 1992 Elections

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Angola: Arms Trade and Violations of the Laws of War Since the 1992 Elections ANGOLA: ARMS TRADE AND VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS OF WAR SINCE THE 1992 ELECTIONS Sumário em Portugués Human Rights Watch Arms Project and Human Rights Watch/Africa (formerly Africa Watch) Human Rights Watch New York$$$Washington$$$Los Angeles$$$London$$$Brussels Copyright 8 November 1994 by Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-79743 ISBN: 1-56432-145-2 Human Rights Watch Arms Project Human Rights Watch's Arms Project was established in 1992 to monitor and prevent arms transfers to governments or organizations grossly violating internationally recognized human rights and the laws of war and promote freedom of information regarding arms transfers worldwide. Joost R. Hiltermann is the director, Stephen D. Goose is the program director; Kathleen A. Bleakley is the associate. Human Rights Watch/Africa (formerly Africa Watch) Human Rights Watch's Africa division was established in 1988 to monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights in Africa. Abdullahi An-Na'im is the executive director; Janet Fleischman is the Washington representative; Karen Sorensen, Alex Vines and Berhane Woldegabriel are research associates; Kimberly Mazyck and Urmi Shah are associates; Bronwen Manby is a consultant. William Carmichael is the chair of the advisory committee and Alice Brown is the vice chair. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some seventy countries around the world. It addresses the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. In internal wars it documents violations by both governments and rebel groups. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law; it documents and denounces murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, exile, censorship and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Helsinki Division. Today, it includes five divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, as well as signatories of the Helsinki accords. It also includes four collaborative projects on arms, free expression, prison conditions, and women's rights. It maintains offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Brussels, Moscow, Belgrade, Zagreb and Hong Kong. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director; Cynthia Brown, program director; Holly J. Burkhalter, advocacy director; Allyson Collins, research associate; Richard Dicker, associate counsel; Jamie Fellner, foundation relations director; Barbara Guglielmo, controller; Robert Kimzey, publications director; Gara LaMarche, associate director; Liselotte Leicht, Brussels office director; Michal Longfelder, development director; Ellen Lutz, California director; Juan Méndez, general counsel; Susan Osnos, communications director; Jemera Rone, counsel; Rachel Weintraub, special events director; and Derrick Wong, finance and administration director. The regional directors of Human Rights Watch are Abdullahi An-Na'im, Africa; José Miguel Vivanco, Americas; Sidney Jones, Asia; Jeri Laber, Helsinki; and Christopher George, Middle East. The project directors are Joost Hiltermann, Arms Project; Lois Whitman, Children's Rights Project; Gara LaMarche, Free Expression Project; Joanna Weschler, Prison Project; and Dorothy Q. Thomas, Women's Rights Project. The board includes Robert L. Bernstein, chair; Adrian W. DeWind, vice chair; Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, Peter D. Bell, Alice L. Brown, William Carmichael, Dorothy Cullman, Irene Diamond, Jonathan Fanton, Alan Finberg, Jack Greenberg, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Alexander MacGregor, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb, Orville Schell, Gary G. Sick, and Malcolm Smith, Maureen White, and Rosalind C. Whitehead. Addresses for Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6104 Tel: (212) 972-8400, Fax: (212) 972-0905, email: [email protected] 10951 West Pico Blvd., #203, Los Angeles, CA 90064 Tel: (310) 475-3070, Fax: (310) 475-5613,email: [email protected] 1522 K Street, N.W., #910, Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (202) 371-6592, Fax: (202) 371-0124, email: [email protected] 33 Islington High Street, N1 9LH London, UK Tel: (071) 713-1995, Fax: (071) 713-1800, email: [email protected] 15 rue Van Campenhout, 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: (2) 732-2009, Fax: (2) 732-0471, E-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................... ix GLOSSARY............................................................................................................ x I. SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 1 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 5 II. BACKGROUND............................................................................................... 8 THE 1992 ELECTIONS....................................................................... 10 MPLA Campaign.................................................................. 10 UNITA Campaign................................................................ 11 Election Results ..................................................................... 12 THE FAILED DEMOBILIZATION .................................................. 12 MPLA Non-Cooperation..................................................... 13 UNITA Delays....................................................................... 14 United Nations Ineffectiveness .......................................... 15 THE POST-ELECTION CRISIS: SAVIMBI REJECTS RESULTS................................................................................ 17 WAR RETURNS TO ANGOLA ........................................................ 18 UNITA Offensive and Government Response................ 18 Government Counter-Offensive ........................................ 19 UNITA Gains in 1993........................................................... 20 Tide Turns Again.................................................................. 21 III. MILITARY ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE, AND OPERATIONS ..................................................................................... 23 UNITA................................................................................................... 23 Pre-Election Military ............................................................ 23 Current Operations .............................................................. 24 GOVERNMENT FORCES.................................................................. 25 Ground Forces....................................................................... 26 Northern Front ....................................................... 27 Luanda...................................................... 27 Soyo and Cabinda................................... 27 Northeastern FrontCCentral Malanje Province.................................................... 28 Central Front........................................................... 28 Cuanza Sul Province .............................. 28 Benguela................................................... 28 Southern FrontCNorthern Namibe/Lubango................................... 28 Special Forces ........................................................................ 29 The Air Force......................................................................... 29 FOREIGN SECURITY PERSONNEL AND EXECUTIVE vi Angola: Arms Trade and Violations of the Laws of War OUTCOMES.......................................................................... 30 IV. ARMS PROCUREMENT ............................................................................ 35 THE GOVERNMENT......................................................................... 35 The Nora Heeren .................................................................. 37 Africa's Number One Arms Buyer .................................... 38 Arms Suppliers ..................................................................... 39 Russia....................................................................... 39 Brazil........................................................................ 41 North Korea............................................................ 42 Portugal................................................................... 42 Spain ........................................................................ 44 Other Nations......................................................... 45 UNITA................................................................................................... 47 Sanction-Busting .................................................................. 48 Arming UNITA..................................................................... 49 Zaire: Diamonds, Arms, Bases, Troops.............. 49 South Africa............................................................ 51 Namibia................................................................... 54 Russia....................................................................... 55 United Kingdom...................................................
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