Politician Venâncio Mondlane and the former Presidents of Colombia, Andrés Pastrana, and Botswana, Ian Khama, were detained this Thursday (13) at Luanda’s 4 de Fevereiro Airport as they prepared to take part in an international conference on democracy, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Angola’s largest opposition party, said.
According to the party’s deputy Olívio Kilumbo, the three leaders were part of an international delegation invited to the event, organised by the Benthrust Foundation, which will take place in Benguela province, in central Angola. However, the airport authorities prevented them from entering the country, without any official justification.
According to Lázaro Kakunha, UNITA’s deputy secretary-general, 13 of the 17 foreign guests scheduled for the event were detained at the airport, in what he described as ‘a deliberate hindrance to free movement and democratic participation.’
Kakunha emphasised that some of the detainees, including Venâncio Mondlane, are citizens of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and therefore do not need a visa to enter Angola. ‘There is no legal reason for this detention, which leads us to believe that it is a political decision to jeopardise the event,’ he said.
So far, the Angolan authorities have not issued an official statement on the case. The retention of international guests comes against a backdrop of growing political tension in the country, with the opposition denouncing restrictions on democratic space.
The international conference in Benguela aims to debate issues related to governance and the strengthening of democracy in southern Africa, and is attended by political figures and academics from various countries. However, with the retention of international leaders at the airport, the event may face constraints in its realisation.
UNITA promises to use diplomatic and international mechanisms to demand explanations and guarantee the participation of its guests. Meanwhile, Mondlane, Pastrana, Khama and the other detainees are still not authorised to leave the airport.
Lusa
