For weeks, disturbing images have circulated on social media showing mutilated men, women and children — victims of brutal attacks, according to the separatist Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC-FAC). They claim these civilians were abused by the Angolan army in retaliation for separatist assaults.

FLEC-FAC spokesman Emmanuel Nzita, speaking to DW from exile in Switzerland, confirmed these allegations, describing systematic revenge attacks by government forces against civilians.

"Whenever FLEC-FAC carries out operations against occupation troops, the army responds with brutal violence against innocent people," he said.

Independent verification remains difficult. The Angolan government has denied the allegations, asserting that Cabinda is largely pacified and fully controlled by security forces. Official statements from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights regularly emphasize that civilians are not harmed.

The recent accusations and images refer to alleged abuses in villages near Mbamba in May 2025. DW's requests for comment from the relevant ministries went unanswered.

Conflicting accounts 

The Angolan government maintains that the situation in Cabinda is increasingly stable. State media recently reported that 202 young men voluntarily had surrendered their weapons and renounced the FLEC-FAC's independence struggle.

Nzita dismisses this as staged propaganda. He alleged that most of these so-called "defectors" are unemployed men from the Democratic Republic of Congo who were never members of FLEC-FAC and barely speak Portuguese.

"The government lured these young men with promises of jobs and money to legitimize their propaganda show," Nzita told DW.

Five decades of conflict

Resource-rich Cabinda on Africa's west coast is wedged between Congo and the Republic of Congo — without a direct land connection to the Angolan mainland. For roughly 50 years, local groups have demanded independence from Angola.

Before Angola's independence in 1975, Cabinda was a Portuguese protectorate. Its integration into Angola occurred without local consent, an act still considered illegitimate by many inhabitants.

FLEC-FAC is fragmented into multiple factions with varying demands and methods. A 2006 peace agreement failed to end the conflict, as not all separatists adhered to it.

Political claims and legal foundations

Bartolomeu Capita, leader of the Cabindan National Movement (Movimento Nacional de Cabinda, MNC), a purely political independence movement, emphasized Cabinda's unique cultural and historical identity. 

"Our region is geographically separated from Angola, culturally distinct, and historically independent," he told DW.

Capita distances himself from the armed FLEC-FAC, which he claims is manipulated by foreign intelligence agencies. Now a stateless refugee living in Germany, he advocates a diplomatic solution grounded in "binding international agreements."

The Cabindan National Movement primarily cites the 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco, which granted Cabinda protectorate status under Portugal and obligated Portugal to protect its territorial integrity. The incorporation of Cabinda into Angola in 1975 is therefore regarded as illegal under international law.

Oil wealth amid social hardship

Cabinda produces around 60% of Angola's oil, generating roughly $40 billion (€35.2 billion) annually. Yet the region's living conditions have worsened drastically over decades.

Average life expectancy has plummeted from 75 years during colonial times to just 48 today. Child and maternal mortality rates rank among the highest worldwide. Oil spills off the coast have exacerbated environmental damage and further degraded local livelihoods.

"Human rights and environmental protection in Cabinda are so severely violated that it amounts to near-genocide," said Capita.

Edited by: Benita van Eyssen