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'· ' ' .1. ORGANIZATION OJ ORGANISATION DE L'l.JNITE AFRICAN UNITY. AFRICAINE Secretariat Secretariat I'. O. Box 3243 B. P. 3243 •· Addis Ababa ..~ 441 ..ri.>t COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CM/~03 (PART I) Twenty-First Ordinary Session Addis Ababa - May 1973 ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR Tll:E LIBEful.'HON OF AFRICA (COMMITTEE OF SEVENTEEN) REPORT OF THE 21ST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE C.0-0RDINATINci------- COMMITTEE FOR THE LIBERATION OF AFRICA TO THE 20TH SESSION OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS . ' 'I .... ·--.. --------~----------- CM/503 (PART I) Page 1 ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE LIBffiATION OF .Al!'.EUCA (COMMITTEE OF SEYENTEEN). REPORT OF THE 21ST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE LIBffi.ATION OF AFRICA Ki THE 20TH SESSION OF THE COUNCIL OF MINIST:ERS This report covers the period between the 20th Ordinary Session whioh was held in Kampala, Uganda, in May 1972, and the 21st Ordina~. Session which took place in .Accra, Ghana from 8; - 12 .. Janua?y. 1973; ,- 2. At its 21st Session, the Committee which was fully "&t~ed by all.its 17 Members, examined in detail the activities of liberation movements as well as the developm.ent of the liberation struggle as a whole. It also considered the reports of the Standing Committee on Policy and Information, Defence, Finance a~d .Administration, 3, The Inaugural Session of the meeting was addressed by the Chairman of the National Redemption Council and Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, His Ex:cellency Colonel I, K. Acheampong, the out-going Chairman of the Committee, His Ex:oellency Mr. Wanume Kibedi, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uganda and also by the .Administrative Secretary-General of the 0.AU, H.E, Mr. Nzo Ekangaki. 4, The Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ghana, N.E. Major Kwame Baah, was elected Chairman of the 21st Session while the following were elected Vice-Chairman: His Eiccellency, Mr. Celestin Goma-F~utou, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Congo and His Ex:cellency, Ambassador Taieb Bouszza of Morocco. The .Ambassador of Nigeria to Ethiopia, H. E. Mr. Olu Sanu was elected Rapporteur to be assisted by a Drafting Committee comprising Libya, Senegal, Zambia and Ethiopia. I 5, The Committee expressed its satisfaction with ~he political , I and diplomatic victories soared by the African Group at 'the United Nations in securing United Nations observer status for some of the liberation movements and for its success on the inscription of the Comoro Islands as a dependent territory and was also privileged to CM/503 (PART I) Page 2 be addressed by the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Territories (Committee of 24), the Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Apartheid and the President of the UN Council for Namibia who attended as speoial observ ers, Also attending as observers were representatives from the Gambia, Mali, Tunisia, following countries: Lesotho, Kenya, Gabon 1 Upper Volta, Sierra Leone, Togo, Sudan, Liberia and Burundi. It should also be noted that this was the.first Ordinary Session of the Committee since the increase in 1ts membership from ~leven to seventeen. 6. In a· general review of the liberation struggle in both West and Southern Africa, the Committee noted with satisfaction the / remarkable progress made by the freedom fighters both in the poli tioaJ. and military fields, Of particular significance has been the military achievement ma~e by P.A.I.G.C. in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, the FRELIMO in Mozambique as well as the liberation movements operating in Angola, P.A.I.G.C.:" (Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde) 7, During the period under review both regional and national elections were held by the P.A.I.G.C. in the liberated areas of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde in a bid to pave the way for the proclamation of the territory as an l.ndependent and sovereign state in the very near future. The elections, which were a spectacular political achievement, were concluded on the 14th of October 1972. Regional elections _were held and those elected as members of the Regional Assemblies then returned 120 members to the National Assembly to work out the programme for declaration of an Independent State of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. 8. In the military field, the P.A.I.G.C. made successive gains and intensified its operation on various fronts, Thus for example, in June and July 1972, the P.A,I.G.C. foroes successfully attacked fortified enemy posts and camps ira Kebn and Cabedu in the Southern front. In August 1972, P.A.I.G,C. forces also successfully carried out several military operations in the towns of Catio, in the south, and Bafata, in the Ell.st-Central of Guinea-Bissau. During the same period, however, Portugal intensified her pre-mediated policy of intimidation and oppression against some OAU Member-States bordering CM/503 (Part I) , Page 3 Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The air space of the Republics of Guinea and Senegal were freq~ently violated. Notwithstanding the ';rutal repressive acts of Portugal in Cape Verde, the P.A.r:G:c. is still carrying out political mobilisation and underground ·activi tie.s in the ii.lands. 9. The Committee weloomed the plans being made by the P:A;I.G.c. leadership to proolaim Guinea-Bissa~ an independent sovereign S]ite and of the appeal made by its leader for recognition of the new State and of the P.A.I.G.C. as its legitimate representatives~ 'l'll.e leader of the P.A.I.G.C., Dr. Amiloar Cabral, promised to unfold his party's timetable to OAU Member-States when the time was ripe and to solicit their financial and moral ~upport at the crucial time. 10. The Committee after considering the appeal of P.A.I.G.C. decided that the case of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde merited priority treatment. It was felt t!lat m.aximum assistance, both financ:i,al as well as material, should be aocorded to PAIGC to enable that movement . I to execute its program~e for the launching of a new severeign arid independent State. FRELIMO: (Mozambique) 11. One of the most important and· significant developments in Mozambique has been the opening of a new front by FRELIMO in the Central and strategic Province of Mani ca· e Sofala. FRELIMO forces also continued to operate South of the Zambezi along Rhodesian and · ,Maliawi borders. DJ.ring. the period under review, a delegation from the Executive Se_.,retariat, ~,.mprising the Executive Secretary, the Assistant Executive Seeretary for Defence, and two others, visited liberated areas in Mozambique and has reported:- that the armed struggle in Mozambique was making satisfactory progress, that FRELIM0 1 s military strategy was sound, that FRELIMO enjoys tho f,ull support and confidence of the people in the liberated areas and that although the enemy still maintained air superiority CM/503 (PART I) Page 4 FR:ELIMO was nevertheless'in full command of the situation on the ground. The report of the OAU Mission to both Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau are submitted as separate ' documents, 12. Sinoe·in the present circum8tances it would be necess~y for FRELIMO to consolidate its activities in the liberated areas, recruit more cadres and equip itself with more arms, ammunition, military equipment as well as non-military equipment like foodstuff clothing, medicine, school materials and the necessary funds, the requests submitted by the movement for both material and fightiag assistance were sympathetically considered l>y the Committee. As a result, the monthly allocation for foodstuff to FRELIMO has been increased. M,P,t.A, and F.N.L.A, (Angola): 13. The successful effo~ts .made by the Foreign Ministers of Zambia, Zaire, Tanzania and Congo, to uni.te the two liberation movements of Angola (M.P.L.A. and F.'N.L.A.) were highly commended by the Committee, The Committee e:irpressed the hope that such an example would' soon be emulated b<' the other liberA.tion movements. The Committee took note of the efforts being made by the leaders of the two liberation movements of Angola to consolidate their union and to establish a Unified Military Command, ZIMBABWE: 14. The Committee regretted that the Joint Military Command which was expected to be established between the two Zimbabwean Liberation Movements (ZANU and ZAPU) had not yet materialized, In order to effect the necessary unification between the two inoviements the Committee decided to establish an Ad Hoc Committee comprising Zambia, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya to mediate between ZANU and ZAPU and report to the next As~embly of Heads of State and Government. The Ad Hoc Committee was invited to endeavour to bring about unity between the two liberation movements - ZANU and·ZAPU , and to assist them establish a firm united organisation. Failiqg to come together within the next CM/503 (PART I) Page 5 six months, the Committee would have to reoonsider its position with regard to the two movements, 15, With regard to FROLIZI, the Committee took note of the views expressed by the Zambian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to the effeot that the Movement was non-existent in reality. It was therefore deoided that FROLIZI cadres should be merged into the ZilJ'fJ/ ZANU Joint Milit~y Command. All forms of assistance to FROLIZI as a movement were to be discontinued forthwith. Only FROLIZI cadres who ' are willing to fight in Zimbabwe under the direction of the Joint Military Command would henceforth be provided for by the Ex:ecutive Secretariat, 16.