Africa-Press – Angola. The minister of National Defence, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Homeland, João Ernesto dos Santos “Liberdade”, on Tuesday in Luanda congratulated the Army on the occasion of its 34th anniversary, which is marked Wednesday (17th).
In a message made public, the minister stated that the celebration represents a moment of reflection on the role of the land troops as guardians of the national borders.
He recalled that, despite the refounding of the Angolan Armed Forces in 1991, following the Bicesse Peace Accords, the Army maintains the historical and victorious legacy of the former People’s Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), the first National Army, with a relevant contribution to the affirmation of the Angolan State, which recently celebrated 50 years of National Independence in November 11.
João Ernesto dos Santos Liberdade emphasized the commitment of the Ministry of National Defence to guarantee and oversee the administration and development of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), particularly the Army, urging its personnel to strengthen their levels of combat, operational and patriotic-educational preparedness.
The message wishes success to the generals, officers, sergeants, privates and civilian workers in fulfilling their mission of serving the Nation and defending national territory.
History
The Army, the largest branch of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), was created on December 17, 1991, under the Bicesse Accords, signed in Estoril, Portugal, between the Angolan government and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
It has become a symbol of national unity and reconciliation, through the integration of personnel from both sides, with the creation of this instrument dedicated to the defence of the territory on a strictly non-partisan basis.
The Army’s primary mission is the defence of national land territory.
However, they have other assigned missions, such as participating in missions to support the coverage of social infrastructure and the well-being of populations.
Within the framework of agreements reinforced by the State with the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Army provides these organizations with human and material resources for humanitarian aid missions and peacekeeping support.
One of the pillars of the Army’s modernization is a subsystem of education, integrated by structures and activities that encompass academic and technical-military components, within the major areas of scientific knowledge.
The main objective is to provide military personnel a training at global level as well as progressive and integrated that allows them to maintain, improve, and complement their skills, and also to contribute to their professional, cultural, civic, and physical development.
In addition to instruction, which provides basic preparation for young people newly enlisted in the Armed Forces, the subsystem also includes four schools with vocational technical courses.
These institutions are prepared to train and develop the Army’s human resources with technical and scientific knowledge, aimed at the effective and efficient performance of a military career or active military service, involving the defence of the country’s land space.
One of the great achievements lies in higher education, with two institutions namely Military Academy and the Higher Military Institute, that in addition to Angolan military staff, also train people from multilateral organizations such as the CPLP and SADC.
Both institutions have the mission of training officers for the permanent cadre of the Army, enabling them to perform the duties assigned to them by law and providing them with the specific skills to fulfill the Army’s specific missions.
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