Luanda - The head of the Military Intelligence and Security Service, General João Pereira Massano, said on Monday that since the beginning of the armed struggle for Angola's independence in February 1961, history has recorded many facts of reference, which praise the field of Angolan social memory.
For the military official, who was speaking in an interview with ANGOP, the political process in Angola was marked by several historical moments, some of which indelibly shaped the social, political, economic and even personal life of citizens.
One of these moments, according to General João Massano, was the foundation of the former Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) on August 1, 1974, and which is considered one of the largest armies in Africa, both for its combat and organizational capacity.
The general stressed that the contribution in the struggle for the conquest of peace, between the years 1975 and 2002, and the bravery shown by the men and women who integrated it, was only possible thanks to tactical determination, discipline, dedication and a high sense of patriotism.
For this reason he considers that, “nowadays, the legacy of FAPLA must be maintained and reflected in the greatness of the current Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), in its discipline, bravery, but also in the moral and political formation,” General João Massano said.
In this sense, he defended that it is a duty of all to work so that the historical achievements of FAPLA are always praised, for having been an army that shaped throughout its existence the history of Angola. AFL/SC/DOJ
With this, the military leader noted that the legacy of the old FAPLA must be strengthened in civic training, ethics and patriotic education, so that young people know the history of the country and contribute with their knowledge so that Angola continues to tread, in a safe way, the paths of peace.
The single army formation
At the time of the armed conflict in Angola, the defunct FAPLA, government forces, and the former military forces of UNITA, at the time, after signing the peace agreements in 1991, merged, giving rise to the formation of a single army, which is now the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).
The institutionalization of the FAA, successor of FAPLA, was substantiated in the materialization of the precept in the Bicesse Peace Agreements.
João Massano highlighted that since its creation on October 9, 1991, until today, the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) are the symbol of national unity of the Republic of Angola.
He also pointed out that, after more than three decades, the FAA is today also a source of national pride and embodies, in essence, the highest values of patriotism and citizenship.
João Massano added that “today’s most obvious benefit for the country, when constituting its Armed Forces, is the guarantee of the defense of the inviolability of its territory, acting as a factor of persuasion against possible risks of internal and external threats” .
For this reason, the FAA is also part of foreign policy of the State, and can be used whenever the national interest is threatened and in peacekeeping missions, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic and in the light of international and regional treaties that the country has assumed or will assume.
