Rebels not happy with Angola peace deal

LUANDA, Angola, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The Angolan government has signed a peace accord with separatists in the oil-rich Cabinda enclave but dissenters vowed to carry on their 29-year-old civil war.

Welcoming the accord, Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said, "We hope this (agreement) will allow the future leaders of Cabinda to manage the huge physical and human resources of this province in the best interests of the peoples of the region and Angola," reported the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks.

The United States also lauded the peace accord, saying for the people of Cabinda, the document promises "economic development and increased political influence."

But those opposed to the accord saying Cabinda deserves full independence or at least some real autonomy. They said the peace deal will not achieve that, IRIN reported.

Cabinda, with a population of about 400,000 and accounting for 60 percent of Angola's oil output, is a sliver of land between the two Congos. Separatists claim that Cabinda, unlike mainland Angola, was a protectorate and not a Portuguese colony. They say their land was illegally occupied by Angola after its independence in 1975.