The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was denied entry into Angola together with a host of other African leaders.
The Thursday incident occurred after the leaders were invited for a two days event by the President of opposition party the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) Adalberto Costa.
Also in the delegation was Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu who was denied entry by the ruling party and were left stranded at the airport.
- Former Nyandarua County Governor convicted of procurement irregularities
- EACC recover Ksh 2M from Thika Magistrate Stellah Atambo’s residence
Taking on social media, Sifuna shamed Angola for the treatment and most importantly for there position at African Union.
“Safely back in Addis after being kicked out of Angola. I thank the Kenyan Mission in Luanda led by Amb. Joyce Mmaitsi. You guys are great. However over 20 leaders from various countries are still detained. 9 Tanzanias, 5 from Botswana 3 from Lesotho, 2 Malawians, 1 from eSwatini, 1 German, 2 from the UK and 2 South Africans.
The Angolan authorities must immediately let them out . Such a shame that visitors can be treated like this in an African country when Angola chairs the African Union.” he said
“Angolan immigration authorities are holding up and denying entry into Angola for me and a delegation of more than twenty senior leaders and representatives of political parties from across southern Africa who arrived in Luanda earlier today for a planned two day meeting.
The group includes a sitting First Vice President from Tanzania; a former President of Botswana; a former Prime Minister of Lesotho and a host of senior political leaders and delegates from Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Germany, USA, Uganda, DRC and Mozambique.
Angolans and Tanzanians are a brotherly people. Tanzania hosted Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto and his MPLA fighters in the early years of their independence struggle. We supported Angola through thick and thin during the apartheid South African regime’s occupation of Southern Angola in the ’70s and ’80s.
Like Angola, Tanzania is a SADC member state and, as such, we Tanzanians don’t need visa to enter Angola.
This shabby treatment of the nationals of brotherly African nations by the Angolan immigration authorities is totally unacceptable and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” said Tundu Lissu
