For weeks, disturbing images have broadcast on social media, showing the predators of cruel attacks to crushed men, women, and children, which are according to the separatist front for the liberation of the enclave of Kabinda (FLEC-FAC). They claim that these citizens were abused by the Angaolan Army in vengeance for separatist attacks.
Flake-Fac spokesman Emmanuel Najita, while talking to DW from exile in Switzerland, confirmed the thesis allegations, describing the attacks arranged by government forces against citizens.
He said, “Wanvor FLEC-FAC operated against the soldiers occupied, the army responded with brutal violence against innocent people,” he said.
Independent verification is difficult. The Angaolan government has denied the allegations, stating that Kabinda has been largely pacified and completely controlled by security forces. Official statements of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights regularly insist on the fact that citizens are not harmed.
Recent allegations and images have been mentioned in villages near Mbamba in May 2025. DW requests for comment from the concerned ministries were unfair.
Conflicting account
The Angaolan government says that the situation in Kabinda is becoming increasingly stable. State media recently reported that 202 youth voluntarily surrendered their weapons and abandoned the freedom struggle of Flake-Fack.
Nzita dismissed it as a propaganda promoted. He alleged that most of the thesis is unemployed men of the so-called “defectors” Democratic Republic of Congo, who were never members of Flake-Fac and barely spoke Portuguese.
“The government lured the thesis youth with jobs and money promises to legalize its publicity show,” Najita told DW.
Five decades of conflict
The resource-rich Kabinda on the West Coast of Africa is a direct land connection between the Congo and the Republic of Congo to the Republic of Congo. For nearly 50 years, local groups have demanded independence from Angola.
Before Angola’s independence in 1975, Kabinda was a Portuguese protector. Its integration in Angola is without local consent, it is still considered illegitimate by many residents to act.
The FLEC-FAC is fragmented in several factories with daring demands and methods. A 2006 peace settlement failed to end the conflict, as not all separats followed it.
Political claims and legal foundations
A purely political freedom movement, Bartolomu Capita, leader of the Cabindon National Movement, MNC, emphasized the unique cultural and historical identity of Kabinda.
“Our region is geographically different from Angola, culturally distinction and historically independent,” he told DW.
Capita distance Hemalf from Armed Flake-Fes, claimed that it has been manipulated by foreign intelligence agencies. Now a stateless refugee living in Germany, he advocates a diplomatic solution in the “Binding International Agreements”.
The Cabindon National Movement mainly cites the 1885 treaty of Simulambuko, which gave the status of Kabinda Guard under Portugal and forced Portugal to protect his regional integrity. Hence Kabinda is included in Angola in 1975, so it is considered illegal under international law.
Oil money amid social difficulty
Kabinda produced about 60% of Angola oil, normally $ 40 billion (€ 35.2 billion) annually. Nevertheless, the situation of this region has deteriorated for decades.
The average life expectancy during the colonial time has increased to 48 today for 75 years. Child and maternal mortality rank at the highest positions worldwide. The spread of oil from the coast has caused environmental damage and local livelihood has been more humiliated.
“Human rights and environmental protection in Kabinda are so severely violated that it is for near-jenocide,” Capita said.
Edited by: Benita van Esen
