Republic of Cabinda
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Republic of Cabinda República de Cabinda Kilansi kia Kabinda | |||||||||
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| 1975–1976 | |||||||||
.svg)  Flag
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| Anthem: A Pátria Imortal ( Paris, France and Pointe-Noire | |||||||||
| Common languages | |||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1975–1976 | Luis de Gonzaga Branque Franque | ||||||||
• 1999 | Cmdte. Antonio Luis Lopes | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | August 1, 1975 | ||||||||
• Debellation | January 4, 1976 | ||||||||
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The Republic of Cabinda
The 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco designated Cabinda a Portuguese protectorate known as the Portuguese Congo, which was administratively separate from Portuguese West Africa (Angola). In the 20th century, Portugal integrated Cabinda as a district within the "overseas province" of Angola. During the Portuguese Colonial War, FLEC fought for the independence of Cabinda from the Portuguese. Independence was proclaimed on 1 August 1975, and FLEC formed a provisional government led by Henrique N'zita Tiago. Luis Ranque Franque was elected president.[3]
In January 1975, Angola's three national liberation movements (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (
For much of the 1970s and 1980s, the FLEC fought a low-intensity guerrilla war, attacking the troops of what was by then the People's Republic of Angola, led by the MPLA. FLEC's tactics included attacking economic targets and kidnapping foreign employees working in the province's oil and construction businesses. In July 2006, after ceasefire negotiations, António Bento Bembe – as president of the Cabindan Forum for Dialogue and Peace, vice-president and executive secretary of FLEC – announced that the Cabindan separatist forces were ready to declare a ceasefire. A peace treaty was signed. FLEC-FAC from Paris contends Bembe had no authority or mandate to negotiate with the Angolans and that the only acceptable solution is total independence.
Geography
Cabinda is a territory of 7,284 square kilometres in west central Africa with a population of 264,584 in 2006 (estimate), divided between four municipalities of
More than 3,500 people of Cabinda live in refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Republic of the Congo.[5]
Climate
| Climate data for Cabinda | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) |
31 (87) |
31 (87) |
31 (87) |
29 (84) |
26 (78) |
26 (78) |
26 (78) |
27 (80) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
28 (83) |
28 (83) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (74) |
23 (73) |
21 (69) |
18 (65) |
19 (67) |
21 (70) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
22 (72) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 58 (2.3) |
110 (4.3) |
84 (3.3) |
120 (4.6) |
56 (2.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2.5 (0.1) |
5.1 (0.2) |
33 (1.3) |
110 (4.5) |
89 (3.5) |
670 (26.3) |
| Source: Weatherbase [6] | |||||||||||||
State insignia
Flag
Two different flag designs seem to be in use, one with the monument of Simulambuco, and one with the green triangle and the white star. The white star can be seen sometimes pointing up, sometimes pointing down. The order of the colors of the tricolor can change too.
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Cabinda FLEC version on resident cards. -
Other FLEC version, reported by Flags of Aspirant Peoples.
Coat of Arms
Just one Coat of Arms is in use, as shown in the gallery below.
-
Cabinda FLEC version on resident cards.
History
Background
The Republic of Cabinda traces its claims to self-sovereignty to its initial status as a Portuguese
From inception onwards, Cabinda experienced several changes of status within the Portuguese framework, oscillating between positions of relative autonomy and integration within the greater Colony (or Province) of Angola.
The agreement of turn of the century Great Britain with Portugal as to jurisdiction boundaries, reached to counter the French and Belgians next door in the Congos, triggered the Scramble for Africa when the latter, not to mention the Germans, expressed disagreement.[8]
In May 2019, repression was reported in Cabinda.[9]
Relations with Angola
During the movement for Angolan independence in the 1960s, the situation became more complex. In May 1963 the
In the early 1960s, several independence movements advocating a separate status for Cabinda came into being. The
The
During much of the 1970s and 1980s, FLEC operated a
During a visit to
Togo football team bus attack
On 8 January 2010, while being escorted by Angolan forces in Cabinda, the team bus of the Togo national football team was attacked by gunmen as it travelled to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The ensuing gunfight resulted in the deaths of the assistant coach, team spokesman and bus driver, as well as injuring several others.
An offshoot of the FLEC claimed responsibility. Rodrigues Mingas, secretary general of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda-Military Position (FLEC-PM), said that his fighters had meant to attack security guards as the convoy passed through Cabinda. "This attack was not aimed at the Togolese players but at the Angolan forces at the head of the convoy," Mingas told France 24 television. "So it was pure chance that the gunfire hit the players. We don't have anything to do with the Togolese and we present our condolences to the African families and the Togo government. We are fighting for the total liberation of Cabinda."[16] FLEC released its version of the events of January 8 which suggests that elements of the Angolan secret police and their Cabindan agents were responsible for the attack.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "CABINDA :Sítio oficial do Governo da República de Cabinda no exílio e da F.L.E.C". www.cabinda.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
- ^ "Home". cabinda.org.
- ^ Official site of the Cabindese Government in exile: History of the CABINDA
- ^ "Developments in Angola, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe" (PDF). United Nations. p. 3.
- ^ Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: Cabinda: Refugees From Angola's Cabinda Enclave Cautious About Returning, March 8, 2005
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Cabinda, Angola". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- ^ "Cabinda between 'no peace' and 'no war'". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
- ISBN 9781920689872.
- ^ AFP: In Angola's oil region, separatists accuse president of crackdown, In: Times live, 19 May 2019, Link Archived 2020-08-17 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ a b c d e Lyle, 2005, Brock. "Blood for oil: Secession, self-determination, and superpower Silence in Cabina". Centennial Universal Congress of Lawyers, Conference Lawyers and Jurists in the 21st Century.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "CABINDA : Official site of the Cabindese Government in exile of the F.L.E.C". www.cabinda.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
- ^ Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: Bembe to UNPO: "The Peace Process in Cabinda Must and Will Continue", October 11, 2005
- ^ Agencia AngolaPress: Minister Bento Bembe off to Cabinda province , 4/2/09
- ^ IRIN: Angola: Cabindan separatists in exile deny end to conflict, August 12, 2010
- ^ Reuters AllertNet: Angola: The death of one man does not end a war, April 27, 2010
- ^ Sturcke, James (January 11, 2010). "Togo footballers were attacked by mistake, Angolan rebels say". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ "Republic of Kabinda Report on January 8, 2010 Incident".
External links
- Country's official site
- Government's official site
- ICE Case Studies : Cabinda, Angola's Forgotten War, 2004, by Alan Neff
- Angola-Cabinda; Armed Conflicts Report Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine, January 2007
- Human Rights Watch: Angola: Stop Military Abuses in Cabinda, June 22, 2009
- Official Site Cabinda's Government in Exile Government, English
- Official Site Cabinda's Government in Exile Government, Portuguese