Luanda - Angola marks the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Bicesse Peace Accords signed on May 31, which resulted in the start of the democratic process that culminated in the holding of the first elections in the country.
The agreements were signed on May 31 1991 in Estoril, Portugal, by the then President of the Republic of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, and the leader of UNITA, Jonas Savimbi, in the presence of representatives from the countries of the Troika of Observers, namely Portugal, the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the USA.
Its main objective was to put an end to the civil war that devastated the nation and enabled the holding of the first elections in the country, which took place on 29 and 30 September 1992, under the supervision of the United Nations.
As far as military issues were concerned, the agreements enabled a ceasefire in the country, the quartering of UNITA's military forces and the consequent demilitarization of this organization, the disarmament of the civilian population and the formation of a single national army with FAPLA (government) and FALA (UNITA) personnel.
The negotiations were mediated by Portugal, the former Soviet Union and the United States of America (USA).
With the Bicesse Accords, 16 years of military confrontation and disagreements between the government and the then rebel movement, UNITA, came to an end. Angolans were able to look to the future with optimism and confidence.
However, UNITA was defeated in the elections and shortly afterwards violence returned, first to the streets of Luanda and then to the rest of the country.
Clashes between the government and UNITA only ceased after the death of Jonas Savimbi on February 22, 2002, making it possible to sign on April 4 of the same year, the Memorandum of Understanding Complementary to the Lusaka Protocol, singed on November 1994 in the Zambian capital after a year of negotiations. ART/TED/AMP
