The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) has launched a fundraising campaign requiring members to contribute $1.6 million (Kwanzas 500) for the reburial of its late founder, Dr. Jonas Savimbi. The initiative, open to supporters beyond party members, aims to cover costs for the ceremonial reinterment at Lopitanga Village in Central Bié Province on April 6.
Unita spokesman Alcides Sakala emphasized that additional donations would be welcomed, stating, "Anyone who wants to contribute a little more will be welcome." The campaign follows the exhumation of Savimbi's remains in January for DNA testing in laboratories across Angola, South Africa, and Portugal.
Dr. Savimbi, who established Unita in 1966, led the party through a 27-year civil war against the Angolan government before transitioning it into a major opposition force. He died in a 2002 clash with government troops in Lucusse, aged 67, and was initially buried in Luena, Moxico Province. His death catalyzed a peace agreement that ended Africa's longest and bloodiest civil conflict, which began after Angola's 1975 independence from Portugal and displaced four million people.
