A Significant Peace

The peace agreement between the government of Angola and the UNITA rebel forces of Jonas Savimbi holds the promise of ending one of two guerrilla wars that have been devastating southern Africa. The plan is basically the creation of leaders of the neighboring states, an initiative that perhaps also can be translated into an agreement to end the other war still raging in Mozambique.

Peace in Angola has a particular significance at this time as neighboring Namibia, last of the continent’s colonies, moves toward independence. The Brazzaville agreement of last December, which cleared the way for South Africa at last to relinquish control over Namibia, also affected the future of Angola. The pact provided for the withdrawal of Cuban forces that have supported the Angolan government in resisting UNITA over the last 14 years.

The peace in Angola also was facilitated by South Africa’s decision to halt military assistance to UNITA. The United States has continued to supply lethal weapons, including sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, to UNITA. That has prolonged the warfare, which has been characterized by the killing and maiming of tens of thousands of civilians, including thousands of children who have lost limbs to the land mines sown in the rural areas. The American role apparently was motivated solely by the fact that the rulers of Angola are self-proclaimed Marxists. There is no evidence that the government has posed a strategic threat to the West. On the contrary, it has proven a reliable source of petroleum for the United States.

Just how the peace will be contrived remains to be seen. Savimbi, it is reported by some of the Africans who arranged the agreement, will accept temporary exile while others in UNITA are reintegrated into the politics of the nation. It is a test for Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos who, until now, has seemed more open to Western economic reforms than Western democracy.

For the score of African leaders who contrived the agreement, it is a welcome success. Too often in the post-colonial era, the Africans themselves have appeared helpless to resolve regional conflicts. For the United States, there is a curious parallel to Central America, where Washington also fed arms and resources to fuel a guerrilla war, only to see the local governments themselves develop an initiative to try to resolve the conflict by peaceful means.