António Bento Bembe

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António Bento Bembe is the Secretary-General of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, a minister without portfolio in the Angolan government, and has served as the President of the Cabinda Forum for Dialogue (FCD) since its establishment in 2004. He previously served as President of FLEC-Renovada.[1][2]

Rival Cabindan rebel groups met in Helvoirt, the Netherlands, in 2004 and formed the Cabinda Forum for Dialogue (CFD), a body dedicated to representing Cabindans in peace negotiations with the Angolan government. Bembe has served as the CFD's President since its establishment. Dutch police arrested Bembe at the Opening Session of the VII UNPO General Assembly in the Peace Palace in The Hague in Holland in June 2005. The arrest came in response to a U.S. government request for extradition on kidnapping charges in relation to a Chevron worker's disappearance in 1990. The Justice Ministry arrested Bembe, but the Foreign Ministry had allowed him to enter the country, leading to a departmental rivalry over the case. Thousands of Cabindans rallied in favor of releasing Bembe and members of Parliament in Angola and Portugal expressed their support. A Dutch court released him on bail but Bembe did not report to police in November. The Dutch court then rejected extradition and Bembe returned to Angola.[1][2]

FLEC President Nzita Tiago removed Bembe from his presidency of the FCD by decree in February 2006. Under Bembe's control, FLEC's general secretariat refused to abide by the President's decree.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Bembe, Antonio Bento (HTML). MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  2. ^ a b Bembe to UNPO: "The Peace Process in Cabinda Must and Will Continue" (HTML). Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
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