The Leadership of UNITA rejects, in the strongest possible terms, the statements of Mr. Rui Fernandes, a member of the Portuguese Communist Party’s Political Commission, made in reference to UNITA, while addressing the MPLA’s VII Congress held in Luanda.

UNITA reminds the national and international public, that the Portuguese Communist Party was the main architect of the violation of the Alvor Agreement, signed in 1975 by Portugal, then the colonial power,  and the three Angolan liberation movements. Such violation doomed the decolonisation process and caused the civil war that devastated the country for many years.

In an act of courage and patriotic maturity, the warring Angolan brothers assumed the historic responsibility to end the conflict and give the country and its people the opportunity to live in peace and reconciliation.

In this context, UNITA is a party to the Bicesse Agreement, signed with the Angolan government in May of 1991. This agreement, which apparently Mr. Rui Fernandes has never herd of,  brought multipartism to Angola. In addition, UNITA and the Angolan government signed the Lusaka Protocol and the Luena Memorandum of Understanding, in order to put an end to the Angolan civil war.

The leadership of UNITA believes that Mr. Fernandes’ statements regarding UNITA, a historic political party founded in Angola on March 13, 1966, with seats in parliamnent and striving, at all costs, to maintain and consolidate peace and the spirit of national reconciliation, are an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign country, as well an incitement to violence.

UNITA wishes to reiterate its position in favour of the preservation of good relations of friendship, brotherhood and cooperation with the portuguese people and their democratic institutions.

UNITA will never tolerate that agents of evil, who were at the root of the conflict that divided Angolans, suceed in sowing, once again, discord putting in jeopardy the happiness and well-being of the majority of Angolans.

Luanda, 19 of August, 2016

The Leadership of UNITA