Malanje: CIVICOP reiterated on Wednesday, in Malanje, its appeal to the families of the victims of the May 27th events and other conflicts that occurred in the country between 1975 and 2002, to undergo DNA testing at the Criminalistics Laboratory in Luanda. The appeal was reiterated by commission member Silva Mateus, after a meeting with the provincial governor of Malanje, Marcos Nhunga, which aimed to review the activities carried out by the delegation in the municipalities of Quirima, Cangandala, Kiwaba Nzoji, and Quela, over four days.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Silva Mateus emphasized that the procedure is fundamental for the identification of the remains and to guarantee a dignified burial for the victims, within the framework of the national reconciliation process "Embrace and Forgive". It was noted that the work of CIVICOP in Malanje resulted in significant progress in locating the relatives of four former municipal commissioners from Quirima, Quela, Kiwaba Nzoji, and Cangandala, who disappeared in the tragic events of May 27, 1977.
The relatives of the former commissioners have expressed their full readiness to provide genetic material (DNA), an indispensable step for the scientific identification of the remains. Since the victims' data was not included in the initial CIVICOP records, the new information will allow the process of locating their respective relatives to be expanded.
Regarding the 43 victims located in the municipality of Quirima, Silva Mateus explained that the next phase involves sending a specialized team to exhume the remains and identify them through DNA testing. He also guaranteed that, after confirming the victims' identities, dignified funerals will be held, allowing families to pay their last respects to their loved ones.
In turn, the provincial governor, Marcos Nhunga, reaffirmed the local government's commitment to supporting the commission's actions. He ensured the mobilization of municipal administrations, traditional authorities, and communities to actively participate in locating and identifying the victims of political conflicts.
Marcos Nhunga stressed that the work carried out in Malanje will restore dignity to the victims, ensure the issuance of death certificates to families, and create conditions for them to have an appropriate place of remembrance, respecting the cultural values of Angolan society. Created in 2019 by President Joo Louren§o, CIVICOP is the Commission for the Implementation of the Reconciliation Plan in Memory of the Victims of Political Conflicts in Angola.
