Africa-Press – Angola. The Angola/Namibia Joint High Level Committee met this Saturday in the city of Lubanho, Huíla province, to draw up strategies for operational guidance on the Management, Maintenance and Security of the Cassinga Memorial, in the municipality of Jamba.
The Memorial is a project assumed by the governments of Angola and Namibia, in the last five years, which aimed to erect two monuments in the towns of Cassinga (Huíla) and Chetequera (Cunene), to honor the victims of the massacre of the South African army to a Namibian refugee camp.
Refugees from 14 Namibian provinces arrived in Cassinga in March 1976, as a result of the armed conflict that devastated Namibia. and military personnel from both countries, who were buried in two common graves.
The Cassinga attack was considered the second major military operation by the then racist South African army in Angola, after “Savannah”. In addition to the field, the action also targeted the SWAPO delegation in Chetequera, Cunene.
The one-day meeting takes place after a joint inspection visit, on Friday, to the Cassinga Monument works, with a degree of execution in the order of 80%, whose inauguration could take place later this year.
During the meeting, the parties addressed the draft operational guidance on the management, maintenance and security of the monument.
Delegations also finalized the joint report of the High Level Committee, signed the operational guidelines on the management, maintenance and security of the memorial.
On the occasion, the Secretary of State for Former Combatants and Veterans of the Fatherland, general Domingos André Tchikanha asked the technicians of the Angolan and Namibian commissions to present, in a clear way, the issues that may still concern them.
On his turn, the minister of defense and Veterans Affairs of Namibia, Frans Kapofi, said that his government continues to appreciate Angola’s effort, for allowing the construction of the monument and, likewise, the contribution made to the project.
“This is a noble project, destined to honor a legacy and it is part of our liberation struggle that is now in the conclusion phase. Our meeting yesterday, after a physical inspection of the work on site, allows us not only to reflect on the work, but also to discuss the ways forward”, he stressed.
Angola and Namibia share a land border of 1,376 kilometers and since 2007, the movement of citizens of both countries in this area is partially free.
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