The Republic of Cabinda
(
Ibinda: ''Kilansi kia cabinda''; pt, República de Cabinda)
was an unrecognized state located in what is presently Angola's
Cabinda Province
Cabinda (formerly called Portuguese Congo, kg, Kabinda) is an exclave and province of Angola in Africa, a status that has been disputed by several political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda, known locall ...
. The
Front for the Liberation of the State of Cabinda-
Exército de Cabinda (FLEC) claims sovereignty from Angola and proclaimed the Republic of Cabinda as an independent country in 1975. The government of this (internationally unrecognized) entity operates
in exile In Exile may refer to:
Film and television
* ''In Exile'' (film) or ''Time Runner'', a 1993 science fiction film
* ''In Exile'' (TV series), a 1998 UK sitcom
Literature
* "In Exile" (short story), an 1892 short story by Anton Chekhov
*''In Exile'' ...
, with offices located in
Paris, France, and
Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville.
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
Luis Ranque Franque was Cabinda Nationalist Leader who served as the President of Cabinda and first president and founder of Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ( pt, Fren ...
was elected president.
In January 1975, Angola's three national liberation movements (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (
MPLA),
National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (
UNITA)) met with the colonial power in
Alvor,
Portugal, to establish the modalities of the transition to independence. FLEC was not invited. The
Alvor Agreement
The Alvor Agreement, signed on 15 January 1975 in Alvor, Portugal, granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November and formally ended the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence.
The agreement was signed by the Portuguese governmen ...
was signed, establishing Angolan independence and confirming Cabinda as
part of Angola. After Angolan independence was declared in November 1975, Cabinda was occupied by the forces of the
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which had been present in Cabinda since the mid-1960s, sustaining an anti-colonial guerrilla war that was rather more efficient than the one run by FLEC.
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
Belize (population: 17,693),
Buco Zau (40,019),
Cabinda (185,924) and
Cacongo (20,948). Cabinda is an Angolan
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
, which means that it is not connected to the rest of Angola by land. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
to the north, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south. The DR Congo territory along the north bank of the Congo River separates Cabinda from the Angolan mainland.
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.
Climate
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.
File:Bandeira_proposta_da_República_de_Cabinda.svg, Cabinda FLEC version o
resident cards
File:Flag of Cabinda (FLEC propose).svg, Other FLEC version
Coat of Arms
Just one Coat of Arms is in use, as shown in the gallery below.
File:Cabinda3.svg, Cabinda FLEC version o
resident cards
History
Background
The Republic of Cabinda traces its claims to self-sovereignty to its initial status as a Portuguese
protectorate, known as the Portuguese Congo
This protectorate had a separate history and legal status from that of the much larger
Portuguese West Africa, dating to its inception on 19 September 1883. Also, in the
Treaty of Simulambuco and the
Berlin Conference in 1885, Cabinda and Angola were treated as distinct entities.
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
The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...
when the latter, not to mention the Germans, expressed disagreement.
In May 2019, repression was reported in Cabinda.
Relations with Angola
During the movement for Angolan independence in the 1960s, the situation became more complex. In May 1963 the
Organization of African Unity (OAU) ranked Cabinda as the 39th state still to be decolonized and Angola as the 35th.
In the early 1960s, several independence movements advocating a separate status for Cabinda came into being. The
Movement for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (MLEC) was formed in 1960 under the leadership of
Luis Ranque Franque
Luis Ranque Franque was Cabinda Nationalist Leader who served as the President of Cabinda and first president and founder of Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ( pt, Fren ...
. Resulting from the merger of various émigré associations in
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
, the MLEC rapidly became the most prominent of the separatist movements. A further group was the Alliama (
Mayombe National Alliance), representing the
Mayombe, a small minority of the population. These movements united in August 1963 to form a common, united front called the
Front for the Liberation of the State of Cabinda (FLEC). The leadership role was taken by the MLEC's Ranque Franque. FLEC established a Cabindan government in exile in
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
. In marked contrast with the FNLA, the FLEC's efforts to mobilize international support for its government in exile met with little success. In fact, the majority of OAU members, concerned that this could encourage separatism elsewhere on the continent and duly committed to the sanctity of African state borders, firmly rejected recognition of the FLEC's government in exile. Later, in the course of Angola's turbulent decolonisation process, Ranque Franque proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Cabinda in
Kampala on 1 August 1975 at an OAU summit which was discussing Angola at that precise moment.
[ ]Zair
This is an incomplete list of places, lands, and countries mentioned in the Bible. Some places may be listed twice, under two different names. Only places having their own Wikipedia articles are included: see also the list of minor biblical places ...
ian President Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
called for a referendum on the future of the Cabinda. Congolese Prime Minister Henri Lopes is reported to have said at the time that "Cabinda exists as a reality and is historically and geographically different from Angola."
The Alvor Agreement
The Alvor Agreement, signed on 15 January 1975 in Alvor, Portugal, granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November and formally ended the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence.
The agreement was signed by the Portuguese governmen ...
, signed on January 15, 1975, granted Angola independence from Portugal on November 11. The agreement, signed by the MPLA, FNLA, UNITA, and the Portuguese government, was never signed by the FLEC or any representatives of Cabinda. MPLA (mainly Cuban) troops entered Cabinda via Pointe Noire on November 11, 1975 and incorporated Cabinda into Angola proper as "Cabinda Province".[ The Alvor Agreement states that "Angola constitutes one indivisible unity. In this context, Cabinda is an integral and inalienable part of Angola."][ At the time, Cabinda was producing nearly all of Angola's oil, which accounted for close to half of the nation's gross national product.][
During much of the 1970s and 1980s, FLEC operated a low intensity, guerrilla war, attacking Angolan government troops and economic targets or creating havoc by kidnapping foreign employees working in the province's oil and construction businesses. In July 2006 after ceasefire negotiations in Brazzaville, ]António Bento Bembe
António Bento Bembe is the Secretary-General of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), a general of Angolan Army, a minister without portfolio in the Angolan government between 2007-2009. He is the Secretary of State of t ...
– as a president of 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. The peace was recognized by the United States, France, Portugal, Russia, Gabon, DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, South Korea, the European Union and the African Union. After the peace agreement, Bento Bembe was elected Minister without portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
in the Government of Angola. FLEC-FAC from Paris contends Bembe has no authority or mandate to negotiate with the Angolans and that the only acceptable solution is total independence.
During a visit to Washington, D.C. in February 2003, Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos said that he supported a referendum on Cabindan autonomy. However, he stated he intended to consult the Angolan people as well, who likely will be loath to relinquish sixty percent of their nation's oil revenues. FLEC said that it would only consider an East Timor-type referendum, which would grant Cabinda total independence.[
]
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
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange (telecommunications), Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial association football, football championship of Africa (Confederat ...
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
Rodrigues Mingas is the leader of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda-Military Position (FLEC/PM, pt, Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda), a guerrilla independence movement fighting since 1975 for the total indepe ...
, 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." 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.
See also
* List of heads of state of Cabinda
*Cabinda War
The Cabinda War is an ongoing separatist insurgency, waged by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) against the government of Angola. FLEC aims at the restoration of the self-proclaimed Republic of Cabinda, located wit ...
References
External links
Country's official site
*ICE Case Studies :
', 2004, by Alan Neff
January 2007
*Human Rights Watch
''Angola: Stop Military Abuses in Cabinda''
June 22, 2009
English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabinda
States and territories established in 1975
States and territories disestablished in 1976
Former unrecognized countries
Governments in exile
Separatism in Angola
Republic of Cabinda
Territory
Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Independence movements
1975 establishments in Africa
1976 disestablishments in Africa
Former republics