Angolan government signs peace treaty with UNITA

The Angolan government under President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and the rebel organisation, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) of Jonas Savimbi, signed a peace deal in Lusaka, Zambia. The peace deal, called Lusaka Protocol, which ended the long and ravaging civil war in Angola, was brokered by the United Nations (UN). According to the terms of the peace agreement, UNITA pledged to demilitarise its forces and integrate it into government forces, become a regular political party and help normalise governmental activities throughout the country. Despite this peace accord and several mediation processes by the UN, fighting only stopped at the death of Savimbi in battle in 2002. Since the beginning of civil war in 1975, About 1 million people had been killed and the country's infra structure had been severely damaged. Click here to read the Lusaka Protocol peace agreement. References: Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.