Peace Accords for Angola, Lisbon ('Bicesse Accords')

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Country/entity: Angola
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Peace Accords for Angola, Lisbon ('Bicesse Accords')
Date: 31 May 1991
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Angolan Civil War (1975 - 2002)
The conflict has involved political divisions, and agreements emanate from two dyads. Unita-dyad. Immediately following Angola’s independence in 1975, a civil war broke out between the two main armed independence movements, the (then government) Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The UN-mediated Lusaka Protocol in November 1994 did not end fighting and another attempt in 1998 failed due to continuous ceasefire violations. After internal splits and the killing of their founder Jonas Savimbi, UNITA was defeated by MPLA forces in 2002.

Cabinda dyad. Additionally, in the Cabinda enclave, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) fought a low intensity guerrilla warfare against the MPLA government since independence, but by the early 2000s, FLEC had lost significant operational power and in 2006 the group eventually declared a ceasefire.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government
Peace process: Angola: UNITA process
Parties: President of the People's Republic of Angola; President of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola;
Third parties: Portugal (mediator), US, USSR (observers) [apparently not signatories]
Description: Agreement constitutes four related agreements. First, the head agreement for the various Bicesse Accords. This agreement sets out the parties, and the various sub agreements that constitute the Bicesse Accords, but does not itself contain any substantive provisions. This agreement accepts as binding the following documents, which constitute the Peace Accords for Angola; (a) The cease-fire agreement (including annexes I and II thereto) [see attachment I}; (b) Fundamental principles for the establishment of peace in Angola (including the annex thereto regarding the Joint Political-Military Commission) [see attachment II]; (c) Concepts for resolving the issues still pending between the Government of the People's Republic of Angola and UNITA [see attachment III]; (d) The Protocol of Estoril [see attachment IV].

Agreement document: AO_910508_Head_of_Document (Bicesse_Accords).pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PEACE IN ANGOLA,
1. parties agree that general election to be held.
2. UNITA to become political party.
3. negotiations on changes to the Constitution.

PROTOCOL OF ESTORIL I. provides for elections and its terms.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1, Annex, Letter dated 8 May 1991 from the Minister for External relations of Angola to the Secretary-General
... Although the said Accords will be in force after the formal signature at the end of this month, the cessation of the hostilities must be verified "in fact" as of 15 May 1991, at which date the mechanisms of verification should be started.

Page 1, Enclosure, Peace Accords for Angola
The Government of the People's Republic of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), with mediation by the Government of Portugal and the participation of observers from the governments of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Accept as binding the following documents, which constitute the Peace Accords for Angola;
(a) The cease-fire agreement (including annexes I and II thereto) [see attachment I];
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1, Annex, Letter dated 8 May 1991 from the Minister for External relations of Angola to the Secretary-General
... Therefore, I would like to request Your Excellency to inform the Security Council of the necessity to keep the forces of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM) until the realization of the general elections that will take place between September and November 1992.
Enforcement mechanism: CEASEFIRE AGMT, II.3. provides for release of all civilian and military prisoners, to be verified by the ICRC. Requests the UN to stay in Angola until elections take place.

Page 1, Annex, Letter dated 8 May 1991 from the Minister for External relations of Angola to the Secretary-General
... Therefore, I would like to request Your Excellency to inform the Security Council of the necessity to keep the forces of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM) until the realization of the general elections that will take place between September and November 1992.

Page 1, Enclosure, Peace Accords for Angola
The Government of the People's Republic of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), with mediation by the Government of Portugal and the participation of observers from the governments of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Accept as binding the following documents, which constitute the Peace Accords for Angola;
... (b) Fundamental principles for the establishment of peace in Angola (including the annex thereto regarding the Joint Political-Military Commission) [see attachment II];
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: UN Peacemaker http://peacemaker.un.org/node/143

Peace Accords for Angola

The Government of the People's Republic of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) .

with mediation by the Government of Portugal and the participation of observers from the governments of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,

Accept as binding the following documents, which constitute the Peace

Accords for Angola:

(a) The cease-fire agreement (including annexes I and II thereto) [see attachment I )

(b) Fundamental principles for the establishment of peace in Angola (including the annex thereto regarding the Joint Political-Military Commission)[see attachment II];

(c) Concepts for resolving the issues still pending between the Government of the People’s Republic of Angola and UNITA [see attachment III];

(d) The Protocol of Estoril [see attachment IV].

These peace accords were initialled on 1 May 1991 by the respective heads of delegation and subsequently approved by the Government of the People's Republic of Angola and UNITA (as evidenced in the communication addressed to the Prime Minister of Portugal not later than 12 midnight on 15 May 1991, which entailed the de facto suspension of hostilities in Angola beginning on that date) , and will enter into force immediately following their signature.

President of the People’s Republic of Angola

President of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola

Lisbon, May 1991