WEEKLY REVIEW - ANGOLA - NEW CEASE-FIRE; FRONT REGROUPS; AN OPEN SOVIET ROLE; A

Created: 7/25/1975

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Weekly Review

ANGOLA

New Ccasc-'i'r

After almost two weeks of fighting in Luanda and ths countryside, the National Front 'or the Liberation of Angola and the Popular Movement for th* Liberation of Angola agreed this week lo another cease-fire. The newwill probably be no more effective then earlier ones as Ihe two groups struggle to be tn control of Angola when it gams independence next November.

The Popular Movement now enjoysdominance in th* capital. The Front has only several hundrod troops barricaded in an industrial complex just north of the city. Under the terms of tho ceas*-fi<e. these troops will be allowed to remain

The National Front aopa-enty has not abandoned the idea of fighting its way back into theelief force that moved down Irom the Front's tribal stronghold in the north has skirmished with Popular Movement troops at Caxito. someiles northeast of Luanda.

Front Regroups

The setbacks suffered by th* Front prompted its leader. Hotden Roberto, touick tour recently of its facilites in northern Angola. Hijfiat inside Angola since the insurgency agamst the Portuguese broke out moreecadeobviously designed to boost sagging morale. Roberto is apparently now back in Zaire, but may return to Angola in the near future.

Ih* Front's defeats in recent months hiveartly because of its inability to match th* arms and equipment being supplied to its ad-wvjry by the Sovietet*diy. th* Frontow receiving some additional Chines* and other equipment from stocks hglahe Zai'ian army. Peking recently authorized Zlir* to release the equipment. So far. however. Zaire apparently has passed on oniy modest quantities o' small arms and ammunition, and perhaps some transport vehicles.

An Open Soviet Role

Recent substantial Sov-et ami deliveries to th* Popular Movement and harsher pressof th* rival Nat-onal Front indicate that Moscow isc* open roi* In itsof the Popular Movement.

Military shipments srnce May haveincluded trucks, various armored vehicles, artillery, grenades, machine guns, and ima" arms. The Soviets are also continuing to tram substantial numbers of officers and troops of the Popular Movement in the USSR and theew Angolans have been sent lo East Germany to be trained in intelligence andsubjects.

Moscow and its East European aides jie rumored to have made some direct arms ship-menu to the Popular Movement in Angola, but the Congohe main conauit for Soviet arms. Early thrs month. Popular Movemento reportedly flew to Brazzaville to urge the Congolese to speed us tne flow of SovietTh* Congolese had apparently been slowing down shipments because they were uneasy about th* possibility of civil war in Angola.

and has labeledreactionary organization" whose members are responsible 'or the death o' hundreds ot peopl*.

Moscow probably still has not written o" the prospectoalition government inWith the Popular Movement nowlear military advantage, however, the Soviets appear to expect that thel have the dominant role following independence.

No Solution in Sight

The transitional government has virtually ceased to function. The Front has not yeta replacement for Johnny Eduardo Pinnock. its chief representative to the trensi-

Soviet press has consistently accorded special praise to the Popular Movement, but until recently it avoided direct attacks on the National Front and Angola's smallest group, the National Union for Ihe Total Indeoendence of Angola. In the wake ol the recent fighting in Luanda, however, the press has charged that the National Frontlient of China and the US.

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