Luanda, Sept. 13, 2024 (Lusa) - The Minister of State and head of the Angolan President's Military Staff reaffirmed on Friday in Cabinda that the province is experiencing a climate of "stability from the point of view of security and defence of the region".
Francisco Pereira Furtado, who travelled to that oil-producing region in northern Angola on a work assignment, admitted that despite the stability, the authorities have been following the concrete situation in Cabinda "with apprehension".
"Cabinda is experiencing stability from the point of view of security and defence of the region, but phenomena involving acts prepared from neighbouring territories have periodically created some situations of instability on the border, particularly with the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRCongo]," said Francisco Pereira Furtado.
Without specifying these acts, the head of the President's Military Staff said that this situation has been changing.
"Fortunately, for some time now, our neighbours (...), as a result of work carried out between the security and intelligence services of both countries, the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo have understood that good neighbourliness and guaranteeing security on the common border (...), particularly in the border region of Cabinda province, must take a different course," he stressed.
According to Francisco Pereira Furtado, the authorities in neighbouring DRCongo have begun to take action to "eliminate the gaps that existed with regard to hostile forces that could create instability along the common border".
"However, we still have other risk factors, namely the smuggling of foodstuffs, risks and threats in the transport of passengers and cargo, along the waterway between Soyo [Zaire province] and Cabinda and we have had consequences that are common knowledge, with the loss of human lives and of resources, which could have been safeguarded if conditions (...) were better secured and with the stability it deserves," he said.
The Angolan minister emphasised that the authorities are also concerned about the phenomenon of fuel smuggling, gold mining and smuggling, illegal immigration and the security of the maritime coast and strategic objectives in Cabinda province.
Human trafficking, arms trafficking and smuggling, illegal fishing and insecurity around oil rigs were also mentioned by Francisco Furtado, pointing out that "they have created numerous constraints for companies in the oil sector and have posed risks and threats to the security of these objectives located along the sea coast".
NME/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
