Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, met Monday in Luanda with a group of former combatants from the Guinean mission for the pacification of Angola, which was in the country in 1976.
The mission, which at the time was composed of 250 troops, arrived in the country to support the government's efforts to put an end to the conflict that started after the National Independence, proclaimed on 11 November 1975.
In statements to the press, Colonel Zio Gaspard Kolomiri, who passed through the country at the age of 23, expressed his satisfaction at returning to Luanda, which at the time was characterised by strong pockets of insecurity.
On his return, Zio Kolomiri welcomed the current moment, the dynamics and growth in the structures of the Angolan capital, which, for him, is proof of the commitment to the country's development by those in power.
At the occasion, the Guinean ambassador to Angola, Edouard Théa, said this is an opportunity for them to meet again former Angolan comrades, in the framework of African solidarity.
He said they were Guinean soldiers who contributed to the defence of the Angolan homeland, preservation of national independence, as part of African solidarity, recalling that the common history should be transmitted to the younger generations.
For her part, the Angolan ambassador to Guinea, Cuandina de Carvalho, noted that during the eight-month mission in Angola the Guinean military took part in some battles, shed blood and buried some of their colleagues in Angolan territory, and thus returned to the country to relive past moments.
He said that 15 former soldiers are visiting the country for six days.
Located in West Africa, the Republic of Guinea is independent since 2 October 1958 and supported the clandestine struggle of Angolans against the Portuguese colonial yoke, welcoming and training leaders of national liberation movements.
