Africa-Press – Angola. Former soldiers of the extinct Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) Thursday demanded special attention and help from the Angolan state, to live in dignified conditions and feel valued socially as retired.
Speaking at the homage ceremony of 57 patriots, members of this former armed arm of the ruling MPLA, many considered themselves abandoned and without monthly payments, since they were not included in the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) Social Fund.
Pedro Francisco Neto, one of the complaints, said he joined the ranks as a “kid” and fought between 1984 and 1992, but since he was demobilized he has allegedly never received a penny, even though his name is in the database and many of his former commanders are still alive to testify.
He added that as a result, he lives in precarious conditions in one of Luanda’s neighborhoods facing countless hardships to support his family, on the 40,000 kwanzas/month he receives from ex-FAPLA cooperative support.
The retired soldier said that during his eight years in the army, he was head of the BM 21 – 40 barrels, taking part in offensives in Huambo, Malanje, Uíge and Bengo, ending his career in Luanda, in the Directorate of Tanks and Transport (DTT).
Luís Pedro and Eduardo Nascimento, both still fit enough to work, complained about the lack of housing, employment and some benefits, especially for the widows and children of ex-servicemen who died defending their country and those who lost limbs in the fighting.
Julião Mateus Paulo, a member of the supportive cooperative Board of Directors, admitted that this class deserves more attention, given that many of them face serious social problems and that the money they receive from the Social Security Fund is hardly enough for anything.
He recalled that the FAPLA was born out of the EPLA (Popular Army for the Liberation of Angola), which later became the “Guerrilla Corps”, and that it was only on August 1, 1974 that the extinct FAPLA was proclaimed, which defended the integrity of the Angolan homeland, before and after independence.
Julião Mateus stressed that the FAPLA played an indelible role in Angola’s military history, and that the state did not have the capacity to support all those who made their contribution to national liberation, without thinking of positions or other benefits, other than seeing Angola independent from the Portuguese colonizer.
“But they have not been abandoned or forgotten. These are the difficulties that the country has encountered and has been facing since 1975 and to this day. But the state is committed to reversing the situation, so I appeal for patience to all those who find themselves in this situation,” Mateus said.
The extinct People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola were proclaimed in 1974 by the country’s first president and founder of the nation, António Agostinho Neto.
Source: ANGOP
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