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| Republic of Cabinda | |
| Cabinda is a small territory of area 7,283 km², administered as an exclave of Angola. Its status as a province of Angola has been disputed by many political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda. The city is also called Tchiowa by the Cabindans. The city has a port, and there are considerable offshore oil reserves nearby The municipalities of Belize, Cacongo and Buco Zau are part of Cabinda in the territory. | |
| Modern Cabinda results from the fusion of three kingdoms: N'Goyo, Loango and Kacongo. The Republic of Cabinda traces its claims to self-sovereignty to its initial status as a Portuguese protectorate, known as the Portuguese Congo. This protectorate had a separate history and legal status from that of the much larger Portuguese West Africa, dating to its inception on 19 September 1883 and confirmed by the Treaty of Simulambuco and the Berlin Conference in 1885. Its closest political predecessor was the iron age N'goyo kingdom, which sought voluntarily incorporation into the Portuguese Empire as a way of obtaining protection from hostile neighboring states. | |
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From inception onwards, Cabinda experienced many changes of status within
the Portuguese framework, oscillating between positions of relative autonomy
and "integration" within the greater Colony (or "Province") of Angola;
though as late as 1933, at the same time as the 1933 Constitution defining
the Estado Novo, Cabinda and Angola were considered distinct and separate
parts of the Portuguese Empire. During the movement for Angolan independence in the 1960s, the situation became more complex; at one time - May 1963 - the OAU ranked Cabinda as the 39th state still to be decolonized, and Angola as the 35th, and one of the groups pushing for independence, the FLEC (Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda), established a Cabindan government in exile in Kinshasa, declaring full independence on August 1, 1975 - this was not recognized by Portugal or other factions. |
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| Cabinda was incorporated into the Portuguese Empire separately from larger southern neighbor Angola, even though, at the time, the two were separated merely by the Congo River. When Leopold II of Belgium desired a path to the Atlantic ocean for his Congo Free State, Portugal granted it to them out of Angolan land, and then the Angola and Cabinda didn't border each other whatsoever. | |
| In 1975, the Treaty of Alvor integrated Cabinda into Angola, but this treaty was rejected by all Cabindan political organizations. These organizations argue that because they had no input on the document, it was, and is, illegal, and therefore does not bind them to Angola. | |
| MPLA (The Popular or People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Party of Labour) troops entered Cabinda via Pointe Noire in 11 November 1975, and annexed Cabinda into Angola proper; the current Angolan government refers to it as Cabinda Province. The Treaty of Alvor, which set the terms of Angola's independence from Portugal, states that "Angola constitutes one indivisible unity. In this context, Cabinda is an integral and inalienable part of Angola." However, though signed by the three other main factions fighting for independence (MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA), the Treaty of Alvor was not signed by representatives from the Cabinda exclave, nor by the FLEC. | |
| A liberation movement, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda, FLEC), has been active since Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975. | |
| FLEC controlled most of the region in 1975, and constituted a provisional government led by Henriques Tiago. The independence of Cabinda from Portugal was proclaimed on August 1, 1975. Luiz Branque Franque was elected president. After the declaration of Angolan independence in November 1975, Cabinda was invaded by forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, MPLA), with support troops from Cuba. The MPLA overthrew the provisional FLEC government, and incorporated Cabinda into Angola. FLEC has continued its political and military struggle for Cabindan independence since the invasion, with little success. The FLEC has since split into several groups, some urging violent resistance, and some peaceful resistance. | |
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http://www.cabinda.net/indice.html or http://www.cabinda.net/
under
His Excellency N'Zita Henriques Tiago, MDR,
The President of the Republic of Cabinda member of the Cabinda Regency. under Comandante António Luís LOPES, President of the Government in exile of the Front of Liberation of the State of Cabinda (F.L.E.C.) |
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| In April 1997, Cabinda joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, a democratic and international organization whose members are indigenous peoples, occupied nations, minorities and independent states or territories. | |
| An ad-hoc commission of United Nations for human rights in Cabinda reported in 2003 that many atrocities had been perpetrated by the MPLA. In 2004, according to Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Human Rights Watch mission for Africa, the Angolan army continued to commit crimes against civilians in Cabinda. Although Angola has claimed that FLEC-FAC is no longer operative, this is disputed by the Republic of Cabinda and its president, Nzita Henriques Tiago. Recent hikes in oil prices have made Cabinda's untapped onshore oil reserves a valuable commodity. Both the Republic of Cabinda and Angola have awarded onshore oil and gas leases. | |
| In 2005, Cabindans celebrated the 120th anniversary of the treaty, too the annoyance of Angolan officials, who view the treaty as counter to their claim of the exclave. | |
| In July 2006, after negotiations in the Republic of the Congo, Antonio Bento Bembe announced that the Cabindan separatist forces were ready to declare a ceasefire. He is the leader of the "Cabindan Forum for Dialogue", which represents some, but not all, Cabindan groups. | |
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In August 2006, a ceasefire was signed between FLEC-Renovada and Angola
government. This has been denounced by most Cabindan groups both inside and
outside Cabinda as a sham. FLEC-FAC continues its struggle for independence
both inside and outside Cabinda. In October 2006 The Republic of Cabinda in Exile, FLEC-FAC and President Tiago asked for intervention by the African Union's Commission on Human and People's Rights. |
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| "We're going to sign a cease-fire with the Angolans who in return have accepted the principle of granting special status to Cabinda," he announced, implying that while his group is resigned to be a part of Angola, they have gotten a promise of some form of autonomy. | |
| FLEC-FAC and the Republic of Cabinda contend Bembe has no authority or mandate to negotiate with the Angolans and that the only acceptable solution is total independence. | |
| Cabinda released its first coins. Seven coins were issued including a 1, 5, 10 and 50 Centavos and bimetallic 1, 2 1/2 and 5 Convertible Escudos. The Cabinda Convertible Escudo is equivalent to a United States Dollar. All seven coins depict native fish. The reverse of the coins shows the arms of the Banco de Cabinda. The coins date from 2001 to 2005. In addition Cabinda issued a large rectangular 7 1/2 Escudos dated 2005 commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It has a mintage of only 1500 pieces. The gold-colored coin is 60mm x 30mm and depicts a fish, pig and a chicken. It seems highly unlikely however that any of the coins ever even circulated as Cabinda is still under Angolan occupation and the issue was not authorized by the Cabindan Government. | |
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| Two new odd-shaped coins were recently released for Cabinda: a square 2 Centavos picturing a sea-shell and a six-sided 25 Centavos picturing a fish. The Bank of Cabinda arms is on the reverse.. Both coins are dated 2006. Cabinda, located just north of the Congo River in Africa, is currently controlled by Angola. These issues also were not authorized by the Cabindan Government. | |
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| Cabinda recently released two 2005 dated coins commemorating their 30th anniversary of independence. It is a somewhat ironic set of coins, as Cabinda has been under Angolan occupation for the past 30 years. The two coins are attractive. The 30 Centavos is a triangular coin picturing a fish on the reverse. The 5 Escudos is a bi-metallic coin that pictures a school of fish on the reverse. The obverse of both coins features a monument and a legend attesting to the 30 years of Independence. Because the country is under Angolan control, the coins do not circulate in Cabinda and the issue was not authorized by the Cabindan Government as indicated at http://www.cabinda.net/CNB.htm. | |
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| The Republic of Cabinda, north of the River Congo had separate stamps from 1894 to 1920 under the name of “The Portuguese Congo”. | |
| Micro-Nations | |
| Chiefa Coins | |
