Death of Savimbi Renews Hope for Peace in Angola - And yet, can the Black Cockerel Fly?

Following the death of Jonas Savimbi on 22 February 2002, the Angolan government initiated a 15 Point Plan to end the 28-year civil war, including a unilateral truce and a proposed blanket amnesty for UNITA fighters. While pre-negotiations between the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and UNITA forces (FALA) began in March 2002, the process is complicated by deep divisions within UNITA. The movement is split between the military faction (UNITA-Savimbista), parliamentarians in Luanda, an external mission led by Isaias Samakuva in Paris, and the government-recognized UNITA-Renovada under Eugenio Manuvakola. The document notes that the lack of a clear, unified leadership within UNITA and the potential for the government to delay peacetime administrative reforms may hinder a swift transition to peace.

• The death of Jonas Savimbi on 22 February 2002 is viewed as a potential watershed for ending Angola's 28-year civil war, as the government had previously considered his removal a "precondition for peace".
• President dos Santos introduced a 15 Point Plan on 14 March 2002, which ordered the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) to cease offensive actions against UNITA, proposed a blanket amnesty for fighters, and promised a re-integration programme and a new Constitution to enable elections.
• Pre-negotiation meetings between the FAA and UNITA forces (FALA) took place in Cassamba, Moxico Province on 15 March 2002, with both sides agreeing that the FAA would provide logistical support for talks to be held in Luena.
• The peace process is undermined by claims from UNITA's external mission that the representatives participating in the Luena talks are "prisoners of war" and lack the legitimacy to negotiate.
• UNITA is profoundly divided into several factions: the military UNITA-Savimbista (estimated at fewer than 10,000 soldiers), the UNITA-Renovada party led by Eugenio Manuvakola, an external mission led by Isaias Samakuva in Paris, and a group of parliamentarians in Luanda.
• The military wing of UNITA lacks a clear successor; General Antonio Dembo is reported dead, and General Paulo Lukamba "Gato" is considered unlikely to unify the factions due to being "intensely disliked".

APA

Porto, J. G., Cornwell, R., & Boshoff, H. (2002). Death of Savimbi Renews Hope for Peace in Angola - And yet, can the Black Cockerel Fly? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-mar-2002-death-of-savimbi-renews-hope-for-peace-in-angola-and-yet-can-the-black-cockerel-fly

Chicago

Porto, João Gomes, Richard Cornwell, and Henri Boshoff. Death of Savimbi Renews Hope for Peace in Angola - And yet, can the Black Cockerel Fly? Institute for Security Studies, 2002. https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-mar-2002-death-of-savimbi-renews-hope-for-peace-in-angola-and-yet-can-the-black-cockerel-fly.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Porto |first1=João Gomes |last2=Cornwell |first2=Richard |last3=Boshoff |first3=Henri |title=Death of Savimbi Renews Hope for Peace in Angola - And yet, can the Black Cockerel Fly? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=March 2002 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-mar-2002-death-of-savimbi-renews-hope-for-peace-in-angola-and-yet-can-the-black-cockerel-fly |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{porto2002death, author = {Porto, João Gomes and Cornwell, Richard and Boshoff, Henri}, title = {{Death of Savimbi Renews Hope for Peace in Angola - And yet, can the Black Cockerel Fly?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2002}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/01-mar-2002-death-of-savimbi-renews-hope-for-peace-in-angola-and-yet-can-the-black-cockerel-fly}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }