Angola’s UNITA rebels name new leader

Angola's UNITA rebels have named the replacement for leader Jonas Savimbi who was killed in a gunbattle with government troops…

Angola's UNITA rebels have named the replacement for leader Jonas Savimbi who was killed in a gunbattle with government troops last week.

His former second-in-command, Mr Antonio Dembo, is to take over.

They also pledged to keep fighting and confirmed UNITA gunmen killed nine people on Monday in an ambush in rural Angola.

But political analysts say Mr Dembo may not be able to control UNITA as he is not from Savimbi's Ovimbundo tribe, which makes up most of the rebel movement.

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Mr Hermann Hannekon, a Pretoria-based consultant on Angolan politics for the Africa Institute of South Africa, said: "I don't think he [Mr Dembo] stands a chance. He will most probably be pushed aside by UNITA General Secretary Paulo Lukamba, a much stronger man, and the movement could splinter, creating a warlord situation".

AP