Cuito — The remains of the lieutenant generals of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), killed during the armed conflict, were buried on Sunday in Cuito.
The Lieutenant General Antero Vieira was buried in the municipal cemetery of Cuito, in an event witnessed by the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic Sector, Alcida Jesus Camateli Sandumbo, family members and other individuals.
In turn, the lieutenant general Constantino Dala also known as "Assobio da Bala" was buried in the cemetery of the Jimba Silili Administrative Center, a ceremony that was attended by the vice-governor for Technical Services and Infrastructures, José Fernando Tchatubela.
The remains of former UNITA soldiers, located in the dense forests of Tchandji, Bié province, were handed over, on Friday (21/02), to their families, by the Commission for Reconciliation in Memory of the Victims of Political Conflicts (CIVICOP), in a solemn act, 25 years after their disappearance.
The funeral ceremonies were preceded by the wake, during which several notes of condolence and tribute were read, with emphasis on the families and the provincial government.
In the messages, read separately, the two families praised the gesture of the Head of State, in effectively inhuming the mortal remains of their loved ones, to carry out a dignified funeral.
"This act allows them to be buried with the honor they deserve, so that they can rest in peace in the province in which they were born", reads the message read by children of those who lost their lives, who, despite the very sad moment, they feel more at ease now knowing where their loved ones are buried.
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The Government's note, read by the director of the Media office, Fernanda Pessela, also highlights the act of the Angolan statesman, highlighting his social, political and cultural value, in promoting national reconciliation, thus guaranteeing the coexistence of difference and in order to establish a connection between all Angolans.
In addition to the delivery of the mortal remains of these generals, in ceremonies held at the facilities of the General Staff of the Army of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), formerly RI20, the remains of general Altino Sapalo (Bock) were also made available.
According to information, the three officers served the top structure of Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FALA), and were killed in April 2000, in a guerrilla military base, after having allegedly been held responsible for the loss of the battle to assault the city of Cuito, in December 1998. VKY/PLB/MRA/DOJ
