Angola has allegedly denied entry to more than 20 opposition politicians from across Africa who were set to attend a democracy conference organised by the main opposition Unita.
The move has drawn sharp criticism, with accusations of authoritarianism levelled against the Angolan government.
According to reports, among those denied entry were Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, Mozambique’s Venâncio Mondlane, Botswana’s former president Ian Khama and Kenyan senator Edwin Sifuna.
Delegates from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Sudan – many of whom held valid visas or were eligible for visa-on-arrival – were deported upon arrival, according to the Platform for African Democrats (PAD), a coalition of opposition parties across the continent.
Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s Chadema party, condemned the Angolan authorities, calling the decision “inexplicable and unacceptable.”
He accused Angola of “ruling a dictatorship while pretending to be a democratic country.”
The Angolan Migration and Aliens Service cited “irregularities in the visa procedure” as the reason for denying entry to Mondlane and 13 members of his entourage.
Mondlane, who has been advocating for protests over alleged election rigging in Mozambique, was recently subjected to travel restrictions in his home country.
PAD reported that Khama, Colombia’s former President Andrés Pastrana, Zanzibar’s First Vice-President Othman Masoud Othman and 24 others were detained at the airport for nine hours without explanation.
Although they were eventually released, they missed their connecting flights.
PAD also claimed that Angola had promised to provide a plane to compensate for the disruption, but this never materialised.
Source: APAnews
