Angola rebels claim killing 18 government soldiers

Angolan rebels of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) have claimed killing 18 government troops.
The separatist guerrillas fighting for the independence of the northern province of Cabinda said Thursday they had killed the 18 in the oil-rich enclave, rising the death toll to around 50 since August.
In a statement, FLEC said clashes with the Angolan army took place last week at Makumeni Village in Buco Zau municipality soon after the Portuguese ambassador to Angola visited the province.
A war territory
“We keep on alerting and informing the public and the international community that Cabinda is a
war territory in Angola,” the FLEC statement reads.
“The war exists and clashes will continue.”
Angolan Chief-of-Staff General of the Armed Forces Sachipengo Nunda last month denied in Luanda reports of any clashes between the rebels and the government forces.
He said Cabinda was in a state of complete tranquillity.
FLEC has been fighting for the independence of Cabinda for four decades.
A peace deal
In March, the group claimed to have shot dead 30 government soldiers.
With a population of 400,000 people, Cabinda province is geographically separated from the rest of the country.
It accounts for much of Angola’s oil production, which makes the country the current largest exporter in Africa.
Despite a peace deal in 2006, FLEC factions have continued to wage low-level attacks in the province.