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Cabinda Province

Coordinates: 4°56′03″S 12°24′19″E / 4.93417°S 12.40528°E / -4.93417; 12.40528
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Cabinda
Province
Official seal of Cabinda
Seal
Official logo of Cabinda
   Cabinda, exclave of Angola
Coordinates: 4°56′03″S 12°24′19″E / 4.93417°S 12.40528°E / -4.93417; 12.40528
CountryAngola
Alvor Agreement15 January 1975
CapitalCabinda
Government
 • GovernorEugénio Laborinho[1]
 • Vice-Governor for the Economical SectorMacário Romão Lembe
 • Vice-Governor for the Political and Social SectorAlberto Paca Zuzi Macosso
 • Vice-Governor for Technical Services and InfrastructuresJoaquim Dumba Malichi
Area
 • Total7,290 km2 (2,810 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2019)
 • Total824,143
ISO 3166 codeAO-CAB
HDI (2018)0.672[2]
medium · 2nd
Websitewww.cabinda.gov.ao
  Cabinda
  Republic of the Congo
  Democratic Republic of the Congo
  Angola

Cabinda (formerly called Portuguese Congo, Kongo: Kabinda) is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by several political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda, known locally as Tchiowa, Tsiowa or Kiowa.[3] The province is divided into four municipalities—Belize, Buco-Zau, Cabinda and Cacongo.

Modern Cabinda is the result of a fusion of three kingdoms: N'Goyo, Loango and Kakongo. It has an area of 7,290 km2 (2,810 sq mi) and a population of 716,076 at the 2014 census; the latest official estimate (as at mid 2019) is 824,143. According to 1988 United States government statistics, the total population of the province was 147,200, with a near even split between rural and urban populations.[4] At one point an estimated one third of Cabindans were refugees living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;[5] however, after the 2007 peace agreement, refugees started returning to their homes.[6]

Cabinda is separated from the rest of Angola by a narrow strip of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known, up until 1960, as the Belgian Congo), which bounds the province on the south and the east. Cabinda is bounded on the north by the Republic of the Congo (formerly known as French Congo), and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Adjacent to the coast are some of the largest offshore oil fields in the world.[7] Petroleum exploration began in 1954 with the Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, when the territory was under Portuguese rule.[8]

Cabinda also produces hardwoods, coffee, cacao, rubber, and palm oil products; however, petroleum production accounts for most of Cabinda's domestic product. Cabinda produces 700,000 barrels (110,000 m3) of crude oil per day.[when?] Cabinda Oil is associated with Sonangol, Agip Angola Lda (41%), Chevron (39.2%), TotalEnergies (10%) and Eni (9.8%).

In 1885, the Treaty of Simulambuco established Cabinda as a protectorate of the Portuguese Empire, and Cabindan independence movements consider the occupation of the territory by Angola illegal. While the Angolan Civil War largely ended in 2002, an armed struggle persists in the exclave of Cabinda.[9] Some of the factions have proclaimed an independent Republic of Cabinda, with offices in Paris.

History

[edit]

Portuguese Congo

[edit]

Portuguese explorers, missionaries, and traders arrived at the mouth of the Congo River in the mid-15th century, making contact with the Manikongo, the powerful King of the Bakongo tribe. The Manikongo controlled much of the region through affiliation with smaller kingdoms, such as the Kingdoms of Ngoyo, Loango, and Kakongo in present-day Cabinda.

Over the years, the Portuguese, Dutch, and English established trading posts, logging camps, and small palm oil processing factories in Cabinda. Trade continued and the European presence grew, resulting in conflicts between the rival colonial powers. Between 1827 and 1830, the Imperial Brazilian Navy maintained a naval base in the western part of Cabinda, making it the only Brazilian colony outside of South America.

1913 map of Bas-Congo and Cabinda

Portugal first claimed sovereignty over Cabinda in the February 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco, which gave Cabinda the status of a protectorate of the Portuguese Crown under the request of "the princes and governors of Cabinda". This is often the basis upon which the legal and historical arguments in defense of the self-determination of modern-day Cabinda are constructed. Article 1, for example, states, "the princes and chiefs and their successors declare, voluntarily, their recognition of Portuguese sovereignty, placing under the protectorate of this nation all the territories by them governed" [sic]. Article 2, which is often used in separatist arguments, goes even further: "Portugal is obliged to maintain the integrity of the territories placed under its protection". The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC-R) argues that the above-mentioned treaty was signed between the emissaries of the Portuguese Crown and the princes and notables of Cabinda, then called Portuguese Congo, giving rise to not one, but three protectorates: Cacongo, Loango, and Ngoio.

Through the Treaty of Simulambuco in 1885 between the kings of Portugal and the princes of Cabinda, a Portuguese protectorate was decreed, reserving rights to the local princes and independent of Angola. Cabinda once had the Congo River as the only natural boundary with Angola, but in 1885, the Berlin Conference extended the territory of the Congo Free State along the Congo River to the river's mouth at the sea.

During this time rubber was harvested and traded in Cabinda. Atrocities such as the cutting of hands were also committed there, although comprehensive reports on these atrocities were more scant and less publicly known compared to the neighbouring Congo Free State.[10][11]

Administrative merger with Angola

[edit]

By the mid-1920s, the borders of Angola had been finally established in negotiations with the neighboring colonial powers. From there on Angola and Cabinda were treated distinctively under the Portuguese constitution of 1933 until January 15, 1975 under the Alvor Agreement.

The Portuguese constitution of 1933 distinguished between the colony of Angola and the protectorate of Cabinda, but in 1956, the administration of Cabinda was transferred to the governor-general of Angola. The legal distinction of Cabinda's status from that of Angola was also expressed in the Portuguese constitution of 1971.[12] Yet, when Angola was declared an "overseas province" (Província Ultramarina) within the empire of Portugal in 1951, Cabinda was treated as an ordinary district of Angola. In 1972, the name of Angola was changed to "State of Angola".

Under Portuguese rule, Cabinda was an important agricultural and forestry center, and in 1967, it discovered huge offshore oil fields. Oil, timber, and cocoa had been its main exports until then. The town of Cabinda, the capital of the territory, was a Portuguese administrative and services center with a port and airfield. The beaches of Cabinda were popular with Portuguese Angolans.

After independence of Angola from Portugal

[edit]

A 1974 military coup in Lisbon abolished the authoritarian regime established by António de Oliveira Salazar that had prevailed in Portugal for decades. The new government decided immediately to grant all Portuguese colonies the independence for which nationalist guerilla movements had been striving. In Angola, the decolonization process took the form of a violent conflict between the different guerilla movements and their allies. In 1975, the Treaty of Alvor between Portugal and National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) reconfirmed Cabinda's status as part of Angola. The treaty was rejected by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda and other local political organizations which advocated for separate independence. Since then, Cabinda has been, on the one hand, a normal Angolan province, but on the other hand, there has been persistent political protest against this status; the "Kabinda Free State" says the exclave was a Portuguese protectorate until Angola invaded in 1974.[13] They also say they control 85% of Kabinda territory and invite proposals for joint ventures.[13] A number of guerrilla actions have also occurred in Cabinda.[14]

Secessionism

[edit]
Main article: Cabinda War

Ethnic grounds for self-determination

[edit]

The arguments for self-determination are based on Cabindans' cultural and ethnic background. Prior to the Treaty of Simulambuco, three kingdoms existed in what is now referred to as Cabinda: Cacongo, Ngoyo, and Loango. The Cabindans belong to the Bakongo ethnic group whose language is Kikongo. The Bakongo also comprise the majority of the population in Uíge and Zaire provinces of Angola. However, despite this shared ancestry, the Cabindans developed a very different culture and distinct variants of the Kikongo language.

Secessionist history

[edit]

In the early 1960s, several movements advocating a separate status for Cabinda came into being. The Movement for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (MLEC) was formed in 1960 under the leadership of Luis Ranque Franque. Resulting from the merger of various émigré associations in Brazzaville, the MLEC rapidly became the most prominent of the separatist movements. A further group was the Alliama (Alliance of the Mayombe), representing the Mayombe, a small minority of the population. In an important development, these movements united in August 1963 to form a united front. They called themselves the FLEC, and the leadership role was taken by the MLEC’s Ranque Franque.

In marked contrast with the FNLA, the FLEC’s efforts to mobilize international support for its government in exile met with little success. In fact, the majority of Organization of African Unity (OAU) members, concerned that this could encourage separatism elsewhere on the continent,[citation needed] committed to the sanctity of state borders and firmly rejected recognition of the FLEC’s government in exile.[citation needed]

In January 1975, Angola’s MPLA, FNLA and UNITA liberation movements signed the Alvor Agreement with Portugal, to establish the modalities of the transition to independence. FLEC was not invited.[citation needed]

On 1 August 1975, at an OAU summit in Kampala which was discussing Angola in the midst of its turbulent decolonization process, Ranque Franque proclaimed the independence of the "Republic of Cabinda".[citation needed] Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko called for a referendum on the future of Cabinda.

FLEC formed a provisional government, led by Henriques Tiago. Luiz Branque Franque was elected president.[citation needed] Following the declaration of Angolan independence in November 1975, Cabinda was invaded by forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), with the support of Cuban troops. The MPLA overthrew the provisional FLEC government and incorporated Cabinda into Angola.

For much of the 1970s and 1980s, FLEC operated a low intensity guerrilla war, attacking Angolan government troops and economic targets, or creating havoc by kidnapping foreign employees working in the province’s oil and construction businesses.

The National Union for the Liberation of Cabinda (Portuguese: União Nacional de Libertação de Cabinda; UNLC), a militant separatist group, emerged in the 1990s under the leadership of Lumingu Luis Gimby.[15]

In April 1997, Cabinda joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization,[16] a democratic and international organization whose members are indigenous peoples, occupied nations, minorities and independent states or territories. In 2010, Cabinda became a charter member of the Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS).[citation needed]

Recent history

[edit]

An ad-hoc United Nations commission 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 the Angolan government says FLEC is no longer operative, this is disputed by the Republic of Cabinda and its Premier, Joel Batila.[citation needed]

Earlier increases in the price of oil have made Cabinda's untapped onshore oil reserves a valuable commodity.[citation needed]

Peace deal
[edit]

In July 2006, after ceasefire negotiations in the Republic of Congo, António Bento Bembe - as a president of Cabindan Forum for Dialogue and Peace, and vice-president and executive secretary of FLEC - announced that the Cabindan separatist forces were ready to declare a ceasefire. Bembe is the leader of the "Cabindan Forum for Dialogue", an organization which represents most Cabindan groups[citation needed]. The peace was recognized by the United States, France, Portugal, Russia, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Japan, South Korea, the European Union and the African Union.

"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.[17]

From Paris, FLEC-FAC contended Bembe has no authority or mandate to negotiate with the Angolans, and that the only acceptable solution is total independence.[18]

Togo football team bus attack
[edit]
Main article: Togo national football team attack

On 8 January 2010, the bus carrying the Togo national football team traveling through Cabinda en route to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament was attacked by gunmen, even though it had an escort of Angolan forces. The ensuing gunfight resulted in the deaths of the assistant coach, team spokesman and bus driver, and caused injuries to several others as well.

An offshoot of the FLEC claimed responsibility. Rodrigues Mingas, secretary general of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda-Military Position (Flec-PM), said his fighters had meant to attack security guards as the convoy passed through Cabinda. "This attack was not aimed at the Togolese players but at the Angolan forces at the head of the convoy", Mingas told France 24 television. "So it was pure chance that the gunfire hit the players. We don't have anything to do with the Togolese and we present our condolences to the African families and the Togo government. We are fighting for the total liberation of Cabinda."[19]

Economy

[edit]
See also: Energy in Angola, Petroleum politics, and Corruption in Angola

Consisting largely of tropical forest, Cabinda produces hardwoods, coffee, cocoa, crude rubber, and palm oil. The product for which it is best known, however, is its oil. Conservative estimates say that Cabinda accounts for close to 60% of Angola’s oil production, estimated at approximately 900,000 barrels per day (140,000 m3/d), and it is estimated that oil exports from the province are worth the equivalent of US$100,000 per annum for every Cabindan.[20] Yet Cabinda remains one of the poorest provinces in Angola. An agreement in 1996 between the national and provincial governments stipulated that 10% of Cabinda’s taxes on oil revenues would be given back to the province, but Cabindans often feel that these revenues do not benefit the population as a whole, largely because of corruption. The private sector, particularly the oil industry, has both affected and been affected by the secessionist conflict. During the early days of Cabinda's struggle, the oil companies were perceived as sympathetic to, if not supportive of, Cabinda’s self-determination cause. The strategy used by the separatists to gain international attention, was most evident in 1999 and 2000. During 1999, FLEC-R kidnapped four foreign workers (two Portuguese and two French citizens), but released them after several months, having failed to attract the attention of the international community. FLEC-FAC also increased its activities during 2000 with the more widely publicized kidnapping of three Portuguese workers employed by a construction company, while FLEC-R kidnapped another five Portuguese civilians. These hostages were not freed until June 2001, following diplomatic intervention by the governments of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.

Municipalities

[edit]

The province of Cabinda consists of four municipalities (Portuguese: municípios); listed below with their areas (in km2) and populations at the 2014 Census and according to the latest official estimates:[21]

Name Area
(in km2)		 Population
Census
16 May 2014		 Population
Estimate
1 July 2019
Belize 1,360 19,561 22,514
Buco-Zau 1,979 32,792 37,741
Cabinda 2,273 624,646 718,915
Cacongo 1,679 39,076 44,974
Provincial Totals 7,290 716,076 824,143

The city of Cabinda contains 87% of the provincial population. The other three municipalities lie to the north of the city.

Communes

[edit]

The province of Cabinda contains the following communes (Portuguese: comunas); sorted by their respective municipalities:

Geology

[edit]

Two giant oil fields, the Malonga North and Malonga West were discovered in 1967 and 1970, respectively, both pre-salt or pre-Aptian producers.[22]: 198–199 

Located in water depths of 50 to 75 m, oil was discovered in Barremian deposits in 1971, then the Cenomanian section in 1979.

Four offshore oil fields, the Wamba, Takula, Numbi and Vuko, are located in the greater Takula area, producing from the Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian Vermelha sandstone deposited in the coastal environment.[22]: 197 

Cretaceous and Paleocene vertebrates, including fossil turtles as Cabindachelys[23] have been collected from Lândana.

List of governors of Cabinda

[edit]
Name Years in office
Evaristo Domingos Kimba 1975–1978
Luis Doukui Paulo de Castro 1979–1980
Manuel Francisco Tuta a.k.a. Batalha de Angola 1980–1982
Armando Fandame Ndembo 1982–1984
Jorge Barros Chimpuati 1984–1991
Augusto da Silva Tomás 1991–1995
José Amaro Tati 1995–2002
José Aníbal Lopes Rocha 2002–2009
Mawete João Baptista 2009–2012
Aldina Matilde Barros da Lomba Katembo 2012–2017
Eugénio Laborinho 2017–2019
Marcos Alexandre Nhunga 2019– 2022
Mara Regina da Silva Baptista Domingos Quiosa 2022-

[24]

Up to 1991, the official name was Provincial Commissioner

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Cabinda: Governor fires and appoints new officials". Agência Angola Press. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. ^ André Gomes Capita Nionje, Arquitetura tradicional em Cabinda Comuna do Tando-zinze Aldeia de Lucula-zenze Cabinda-Angola, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, 2019
  4. ^ Collelo, Thomas (editor) (1989) A Country Study: Angola Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., Appendix A, Table 2, Cabinda, Archived 2 March 1999
  5. ^ "Refugees from Angola's Cabinda enclave cautious about returning". www.unhcr.org. 7 March 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2005.
  6. ^ 2009 Human Rights Report: Angola United States State Department (11 March 2010) accessed 2023-12-21
  7. ^ "Sport and terrorism: A deadly game". The Economist. 11 January 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  8. ^ Cabinda, Angola Archived 27 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, ICE Case Studies Number 129, 2004 by Alan Neff
  9. ^ Ojakorotu, Victor (2011). "The Paradox of Terrorism, Armed Conflict and Natural Resources: An Analysis of Cabinda in Angoloa". Perspectives on Terrorism. 5 (3/4): 96–109. ISSN 2334-3745. JSTOR 26298526. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Mutilation and brutality". Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. ^ Van Reybrouck, David (2014). Congo: The Epic History of a People. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0-00-756290-9.
  12. ^ "Portugal's Constitution of 1976 with Amendments through 2005" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Mambu Ma Nzambi Kabinda". Federal government of Kabinda Free State. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  14. ^ United States State Department (8 April 2011), "2010 Human Rights Report: Angola" Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda—FLEC) Archived 18 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine Global Security
  16. ^ "worldholdings.co.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  17. ^ (Reuters): Cabinda separatists say ready to sign ceasefire Archived 9 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2 November 2007.
  18. ^ Angola: Cabinda Separatists Divided Over Peace Talks Archived 9 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine allafrica.com - 14 July 2006 accessed 21 December 2023.
  19. ^ Sturcke, James (11 January 2010). "Togo footballers were attacked by mistake, Angolan rebels say". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  20. ^ Porto, João Gomes. "Cabinda: Notes on a soon-to-be-forgotten war". Iss.org.za. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  21. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatistica, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Dale, C.T., Lopes, J.R., and Abilio, S., 1992, Takula Oil Field and the Greater Takula Area, Cabinda, Angola, In Giant Oil and Gas Fields of the Decade, 1978–1988, AAPG Memoir 54, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, ISBN 0891813330
  23. ^ Myers, T. S., Polcyn M. J., Mateus O., Vineyard D. P., Gonçalves A. O., & Jacobs L. L. (2017). A new durophagous stem cheloniid turtle from the lower Paleocene of Cabinda, Angola. Papers in Palaeontology. 2017, 1-16
  24. ^ "Histórico dos Governadores" (in Portuguese). cabinda.gov.ao. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
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