United Nations Security Council resolution 976, adopted unanimously on 8 February 1995, after reaffirming resolutions

696 __NOTOC__ Year 696 ( DCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday the (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 696 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calend ...

(1991) and all subsequent resolutions on

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, the Council authorised the establishment of a new

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United N ...

mission in the country, the

United Nations Angola Verification Mission III The United Nations Angola Verification Mission III was a peacekeeping mission that began operating in Angola in February 1995 during the civil war.Meisler, Stanley. ''United Nations: The First Fifty Years'', 1997. Page 369. It was established by t ...

(UNAVEM III) with an initial mandate ending on 8 August 1995. The

Lusaka Protocol The Lusaka Protocol, initialed in Lusaka, Zambia on October 31, 1994, attempted to end the Angolan Civil War by integrating and disarming UNITA and starting national reconciliation. Both sides signed a truce as part of the protocol on November 15 ...

was signed on 20 November 1994 and its importance and implementation was stressed to the

Government of Angola The Cabinet of Angola is the chief executive (government), executive body of the Angola, Republic of Angola. References External linksgoverno.gov.ao
(in Portuguese) Angola politics-related lists, Cabinet Lists of government ministers of ...

and

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...

. The council also welcomed that a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

had been in effect and was being observed. However, the protocol's implementation was behind schedule and the leaders of both parties–

José Eduardo dos Santos José Eduardo dos Santos (; 28 August 1942 – 8 July 2022) was the president of Angola from 1979 to 2017. As president, dos Santos was also the commander-in-chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and president of the People's Movement for the ...

and

Jonas Savimbi Jonas Malheiro Savimbi (; 3 August 1934 – 22 February 2002) was an Angolan revolutionary politician and rebel military leader who founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). UNITA waged a guerrilla war agai ...

, were urged build political momentum in order to successfully the agreement. Angola had offered to contribute substantially to the cost of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the country, and this was commended by the Security Council. Additionally, a delegation from the

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

had visited the country. UNAVEM III was then established to help restore peace and promote national reconciliation. It had a maximum deployment of 7,000 troops, 350 military observers and 260 police observers. The latter two groups would be immediately deployed to monitor the ceasefire, while the infantry units would be deployed when there was a cessation of hostilities, a provision of all relevant military data and where UNITA's forces would be placed. The importance of a

mine clearance Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By contra ...

programme and establishment a United Nations radio station was stressed. The Secretary-General

Boutros Boutros-Ghali Boutros Boutros-Ghali (; , ar, بطرس بطرس غالي ', ; 14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1992 to 1996. An academic ...

was requested to report monthly on the mandate of UNAVEM III and the implementation of the Lusaka Protocol. If the parties did not co-operate, the role of the United Nations in Angola would be reviewed; if there was co-operation, UNAVEM III would be terminated after the Lusaka Protocol was fully implemented, expected by February 1997. The contributions of Member States, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations was welcomed, with the Council reaffirming that all countries that they were to observe the

arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...

on UNITA in place since Resolution 864 (1993). A total ban on weapons was rejected by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

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. In this regard, both parties were urged to cease acquisition of

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and

matériel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specific ...

and instead devote resources for humanitarian needs. Angola was also asked to sign a

Status of Forces Agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...

with the United Nations by 20 March 1995. Finally, all parties were required to ensure the safety, security and

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...

of UNAVEM III and other personnel.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 1995 0976 1995 in Angola 0976 February 1995 events

See also

References

External links