Angolan Troops Retreat From Rebels
Government troops retreated Wednesday in northern and central Angola after UNITA rebels seized control of a key petroleum town and recaptured their headquarters.
After two days, the rebels, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, said they gained command of Soyo, 186 miles north of Luanda on Angola’s oil-rich Atlantic coast. Government troops withdrew, a military official said.
Five foreign oil companies--including U.S.-based Texaco and Chevron--operate out of Soyo or Cabinda, a northern Angolan enclave between Congo and Zaire. Oil from the two areas generates 90% of Angola’s export earnings.
A spokesman for the Belgian oil company Petrofina said 18 of the company’s staff are believed held by rebels in Soyo.
Texaco spokesman Yorick Fonseca said all Texaco personnel were evacuated Monday from Soyo, where the company has a regional office and supply facilities. Chevron operates out of Cabinda.
Late Tuesday, rebel troops recaptured their base in Huambo, Angola’s second-largest city, 329 miles southeast of Luanda. The government drove the rebels from the city Jan. 9.
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