THE WASHINGTON OFFICE ON AFRICA t! 0 MARYLAND AVENUE. N.E. WASHINGTON. 0. C. 20002 {20~1 546.1961 May 15, 1987 Dear Friend, There is an urgent need for anti-apartheid groups to 't:ak'e the political offensive to end U.S. aid to UNITA. Each day the war waged by South Africa, UNITA and the u.s. against Angola intensifies* causing widespreOCI destruction, death, and the maiming arrl displacenent of Angolan people. Ending aid to UNITA {the South Africa-backed rebel movement led by Jonas Savinbi) arrl preventing sanctions against Angola rust become key parts of our work for justice in Southern Africa. There is a strong right wing campaign to discredit the Angolan government and to gain support for UNITA. This canpaign gained momentum in 1985 with the repeal of the Clark Amendment, which had prevented the u.s. government from aiding any Angolan rebel rnoverrent. Since Jonas Savinbi was received by Presi­ dent Reagan in early 1985, the u.s. has provided UNITA with over $15 million dollars in military aid and sophisticated Stinger missiles. South Africa and UNITA have continued to find support in the lOOth Congress (see the enclosed "time-line"). In addition, costly public relations tours by UNITA represent­ atives have presented UNITA as a nationalist roovernent fighting to overthrow domination by racist Cubans and Soviets. In a recent trip to the South, UNITA representatives were hosted by the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors. UNITA has targeted southern states in order to win grassroots support for future votes on increased military aid. It is imperative that we counter UNITA's propaganda and the right wing carrpaign to increase u.s. support for South Africa's war against Angola. We need intensive lobbying and an educational program aimed at both Congress and the grassroots in order to stop u.s. support for UNITA. Therefore, please: 1. duplicate and distribute the enclosed information to people in your net­ work/church/labor union/anti-apartheid group and ask them to alert others to the situation in Angola. 2. write or call the legislators on 'tile El!lClosed U.st (page 1 and 2, who have voted against aid to the Nicaraguan contras but have not consistently opposed aid to UNITA, and page 3, who are new rnenbers of Congress who voted against aid to the contras) and mge tbe1m to vote and to speak a;ainst any overt or covert aid to ~ and to oppose all sanctions against Angola. Ask people in your network to do the same. 3. write or call the legislators an the El!lClosed list {page 4, who have voted against aid to UNITA and against aid to the contras) and uzge them to introduce a bill prohibit:IDJ all covert am overt aid to m:rrA and to oppose all sanctions against Argola. Ask people in your network to do the same. THE SPONSORS OF THE WASHINGTON OFFICI!. ON AFRICA ARE: Alv'ALGAMATED GLOHiiNG .AND TEXTiLE •VORKERS UNION • THE AMERICAN COMMiTTEE ON AFR'CA • TME AMERiCAN LUTHERA.N CHURCH, DiViSION FOR WORLD MiSSION ANO COOPERA T:ON • CHRISTiAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRiSTi• CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN • EPISCOPAL CHURCH, COALiTION FOR HUMAN NEEDS AND PUBUC AFFAiRS OFFiCE. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL • LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA, DiVISim< FOR MiSSION IN 1\0RTH AMERiCA • MISSIONARIES OF AFRICA • PROGRESSIVE NATIONAL SAPTlSf CONVENTION. HOME MISSiON BOARD • REFORMED CHURCHES IN AMERICA • SACRED HEART FATHERS • SOCIETY FOR AFRICAN MISSiONS (S.M.A. i=AfHERS) • UNITED AUTOMOBILE, AEROSPACE AND AGRICULTURALIMPLEME"iT WORKERS OF AMERICA UAW • UNITED CHURCH OF (;HRIST, BOARD FOR WORLD MINISTRIES. AND OFFICE FOR CHuRCH IN SOCiETY • UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. AFRICA OF;ICE AND WOMEN'S DIVISION OF BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES • UNITED STEELWORKERS •.)F AMERICA • PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA) This l@ying effort haS· no chance of suceess wit.hout grassroots sQPPOrt. The following resourcesf in afidition to those enclosedr are available from the Washington Office on Africa arrl other groups ...We encourage you to use them and to make them available to .YQUr networks. "'Destabilizinj Angola: Soath Africa's War am u .. s .. Policy.. • an eight pJ1!19e description of the conflict Al'lgola available from the washington Office Afrwa Jif!ucational Fund (~) ana· the Center for International Policy .. -:DestabUizin; Angola: SW.tb Af:riaa!s war ani u.s .. Policy.. • a 15 minute demon"" stration video available from the Washi.""'gton Office Qn Africa a:lucational Fund~ 1111U'Jgola: i\ Natica. Urx:ler Attack by Scutb Africa•• a press packet produced by Fenton Commnications. {21.?) 489-5630 arrl (202) 745-0701 .. •savi.Jibi and SCOth Afrka: ·fib· Ca.sual Affair .. • a fact sheet about Jonas Savi1ibi arrl the histoz: ical backgroutd of m.r.rTA, available from the Washington Office on Africa litlucational Fund in Jpne. "Children on the FrQ'ltl!ne .. • a UNICEF report which documents the inpact of South African destabilization on the· child.ten of southern Africa, including Angola~ This report. available from Leslie Whitworth at UNICEF (202) 547-7946. Periroic updates on the prtgress of legislation can be ootainetl by ca1lin9 (202) 546-0408.~ our .Anti-Apartheid .l!Ction Hotline. Please contact us if you need ooditional information, Or YOU have infO!'mation to share with us aboUt the Angola c~ign. Sincerely1 ~a- h. w~\-- Jacqueline M. Wilson Legislative Director Encls .. <::fiE 1\la to tiN'I"l7t is aid b:t Sou.tb Africa. Aid to. UN!'m. rots the U.S. in a de facto military alliance with Sooth Africa. South Afdca ptovides approxi­ mately 90% of UNITA's support anti commits hundreds of men to its defense. For exanple, in 1995 South African planes bolibed Angolan govern100nt troqps advancing on ~ forces in southern Angola. South African troops have raidEd Angola over 11 tiMs since 1976, often fighting side-by-side with UNITA forces. "fM) S!,lppo.r:t for mt.t:"m d~es US z:~i~ with ot;her .1\fd.can natioas arx'J isolates t:he u.s. u.s. creCl.ibility as an irrpartial broker in the regioo destroyed by aiding til:'ll'TA~ to which no Black nation has given significant support since it joined forces with South Africa. !n July, 1985~' the 21st Sommit of the Organization of African Unity {OP\.U} declared that it would interpret any US intervention oo behalf of rebel forces in Angola as a tthostile act" toward the OAU. Nearly e.very major anti-ap&::theid leader in Sooth Africa and Namibia opposes u.s~ aid to f.1'NITA. All of the leaders of the Front-Line States oppose aid to UN!TA and have critiched u.s. support •. The u.s. and South Africa are the only countries in the world which do not reocgnize the Angolan government. mmm Aid to· UNI'D\ will not bring C'boltt the t~itb:Jz:awal of CUban t.roqm .. Cuban troops first came . to A11gola to help repel the 1975 South. Afdoan inva,... sion. Their continuea presence is the result of.. South Africa's. repeated cross-border raids into and military occupation of Angola .. Angola bas repeat€..'dly stated its to negotiate the removal of CUban t:roq>s. However, South Africa has repeatEdly sabotaged regional peace, efforts. The best way to encourage a with:lrawal of Cuban troops, who themselves shoW no interest in venturing beyond Angola's borders, would. to deroam that South Africa Ci iscontinue its invasions of 1l.ft9ola, support of UNI'rn. and illegal occupation of Namibia. POOR. t:JNl:'m violates !muan rights .... UNITA has a history of bolibing public places, kidnapping foreign teci"~T~icians, killing inrt<:cent c::lvilians and l'llining village farmlands.. 1\ccording to the Wasl)ingtpn Post, all available accounts attribute the February 1900 mas.sacre at' 120 Angolans at Caroabatela vill~e tc; UNTTA forces. t:IN!TA's ag9ression has disrupted faoo production and distri­ bution and caused one of the continent's worst famines. A recent UNICEF report d~nts that becaus~ of tbe war, Mgola bas one of the highest child :rrortality rates . in the world. ONITA threatens to blow up Gulf Oil1 s refinery in Angola, therei:ly posing a seriQUs threat to American lives,. FI'9B Jc.ms Bavfubi is an unreliii>le ally. Savimi, the leader of UNI'D\ 1 is a political chameleon, changing his alliances to suit his interests,. He bas been by turns stridently anti-ilrperialist, pro-capitalist .~·. Maoist. In 1985, UNITA itself split heeause of dissatisfaction with Savi~i's leader­ ship~ The dissidents accu,sed Savin:bi of "waging a ~ar again~?t those who do not obey him unconditionally/' and called him another Idi Amin. SIX tJRI"..J\ e-.ot win. Savinbi •s human rights abtlses. have cost him popular support~. In ;;pdltion, analyses :recently prepat'ed by the CIA an:!. the State Department concluded that UNITA cannot .achieve a . military . vietory, or negotiate a power sharing agreement with the Angolan government, even with increased U.s. aid . May 11,1987 WASHINGTON OFFICE ON AFRICAEDUCATIONAL FUND HO Morylond Avenve, NE IS Washington, DC 20002 e 202/546-7961 1\CT SHEET invades Angola to re info:tce and defend UN!TA positions. In return, UNITA fulfills a. is located in south-western one South Africa's primary foreign pOlicy ~£rica. The country is slightly larger than oojectiv~: the dest,abili:zation of Arigala. Texas. New Mexico and Cklahoma cottbined. It Savimbi cJ.ose relationship with South has a population of al.:nx>st 9 million people. Afr k:a ·was illustrated in 1984 when he was Angola ~ its ~epeooepce from Portugal m the only Black leader to partic:ipate in 1975.