Jamba, Angola
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Jamba is a town in southeast Angola in the province of Huíla. It is located at: 16° 5’ 0” E and: 14° 42’ 1” S. It was the headquarters for the Angolan rebel movement UNITA, led by Jonas Savimbi, from 1976 until 1991. In December 2000, it was re-captured by the military of Angola. The name of the town is related to "jamba", which means "Elephant" in Umbundu, a language spoken in southern Angola.
Jamba under UNITA
One author, Paul Hare, described Jamba as "a spread out, well-organised guerrilla encampment, carefully planned and camouflaged to protect against air attacks". It is believed that the town was "virtually created by apartheid South Africa and the Central Intelligence Agency, to serve as UNITA's headquarters from 1976 until 1991." [link].Jamba was also the host of the Democratic International or "Jamba Jamboree", a 1985 meeting of global anti-communist insurgents organized by United States conservatives, including Jack Abramoff. At the conference, the participants signed a communiqué declaring "our solidarity with all freedom movements in the world and ... our commitment to cooperate to liberate our nations from the Soviet imperialists." [link]. Other participants in the conference included:
- Adolfo Calero, Contra leader.
- Pa Kao Her, Laotian resistance leader.
- Lewis Lehrman, American businessman and politician.
- Abdurrahim Wardak, Afghan mujahideen leader.
- Jack Wheeler, American conservative.
External links
- ["Angolan Peace Monitor"], January 18, 2000.
- ["My Dinner with Jack"], Mark Hemingway, The Weekly Standard, April 3, 2006.
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