ANGOLA - APRIL POLITICAL ROUNDUP

UNCLAS LUANDA 000476

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS


E. O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AO
SUBJECT: ANGOLA - APRIL POLITICAL ROUNDUP

Ref: Luanda 475

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1. (U) SUMMARY
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-------------- Angola Funds the Gulf of Guinea Commission
-------------- Supreme Court President Calls for More Judges
-------------- New Angolan Naval and Air Force Chiefs

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Angola Provides the Budget for the Gulf of Guinea Commission
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2. (U) On April 11, 2007, the GRA publicly announced that it had
appropriated funding to cover the Gulf of Guinea Commission's 2007
budget. The GRA has provided the Commission with offices that will
serve as the Commission's temporary Headquarters and five residences
to accommodate its Commissioners. Angola originally offered to host
the Commission during the Commission's Summit Meeting in Gabon in
October 2006. Angola further offered to build the permanent
Headquarters for the Commission in Luanda by next year (reftel
notal). Secretary General Carlos Gomes (from Sao Tome) and Deputy
Executive Secretary Amb. Florentina A. Ukonga (from Nigeria) are
already present in Luanda, with other Commission executives expected
to arrive shortly.

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Supreme Court President Reiterates Need for More Judges
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3. (U) The President of the Supreme Court Cristiano Andre publicly
reiterated the need to recruit more judges, stating that the justice
system in Angola is hampered by the shortage of functioning courts.
Angola currently has only 220 judges serving an estimated population
of 15 million people. Judge Andre would like to see the immediate
appointment at least 350 more judges to help alleviate the over-
burdened caseloads in the few courts presently functioning. He
cited the examples of Lunda Sul, a province with over 500,000
inhabitants and only four judges and of Uige Province, in which only
one of the sixteen municipal courts holds sessions. Of the 21,098
cases brought to court in Luanda only 2130 were tried, equaling ten
percent of the cases.

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New Angolan Naval and Air Force Chiefs
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4. (SBU) On April 26, 2007, President Dos Santos appointed General
Francisco Lopes Gongalves Afonso and Admiral Augusto da Silva Cunha
as Chiefs of Air and Naval Staffs, respectively. He also appointed
Generals Cristovco Miguel da Silva Junior and Domingos Adriano da
Silva Neto as Deputy Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff for the
Air force, respectively. Admiral Francisco Jose is the new Vice
Chief of Naval Staff. With these new appointees, President Dos
Santos has now completed a cycle of appointments started in February
2006, in which he replaced all senior Military and Paramilitary
leaders. Little biographic information is known on any of these
men.