UN Memoirs – 4 Evacuation
By Col Akhil Gupta Retd
Words like retreat, withdrawal, evacuation never command respect and honour in a soldier’s lexicon. They are never taken alongside valour, courage, grit and determination: powerful words that signify victory. Victory snatched against odds.
Victory achieved through selfless sacrifice. It has the stale smell of cowardice couched in a polite facade. I wonder how many of us have gone through this emotive journey. They are thankless operations. Yes. But not unworthy of leaving out of the chronicles. Only thing that kept us going at such times is best expressed by Alexander Pope’s famous lines: Honour and Shame on no condition rise, Act well thy part and therein all the Honour lies.
It was depressing. The Angolan Govt didn’t want the UN to see them renegade on the agreed terms. They wanted to deliver a death blow to UNITA, before it builds up again. For them, UN had served its purpose by ensuring a relative period of calm allowing them just enough time to bolster their strength. We could see, all serious UN efforts to bring peace being frustrated and foiled at every step.
Enormity of the situation is best understood when you view the overall picture: 6 UN air accidents attributed to deliberate action by adversaries in Angola, wherein all UN personnel onboard died including the senior most representative of the UN General Secretary to Angola, Mr Beye.
UN Mission was on a downward spiral. Parties to the conflict had started showing open hostility towards the Peace-Nicks. UN planes were being shot. UN was left with little choice. Peace Keeping mission for ensuring ceasefire, disarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation was converted to Observers Mission.
UN had to commence reducing its foot print by downsizing. It had to be a safe and slow process as much as possible. Look at the chaos, confusion and the horror that occurred during the hurried withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. And, what a shame it was! the disorderliness of it all! the mighty US withdrawing with all its firepower at its disposal! Reminds of what IPKF heroes must have faced in its last throes. Giving up all their gains at the altar of politics.
Unfortunately, here the downsizing started with return of the military contingents as the 1st activity. Ideally, this should have been the last. Then, followed the closure of UN posts without armed protection cover in a hostile environment. Cutting down staff, sending back UN Observers with short incomplete tenures would be the next in line. Soon UN Mission would be getting post-dated extensions repeatedly, that too only for a few months at a time.
Of course, there is no comparison in the scale and quantum, our withdrawals were in penny packets under much less dangerous circumstances. In my Eastern Region, we had overall 6 far flung UN Posts besides one post along with the HQ location Luena.
Fortunately, due to lack of UN personnel and relative inaction between rebels and Govt forces in some areas, 2 locations had already been designated for closure well before evacuation under stress, was to become operational. Of the remaining 5 UN posts, 3 were in UNITA held areas while 1 in the Bie Provincial capital, Cuito (pronounced Kuito) and 1 in the Moxico Provincial capital, Luena. I have already written about evacuation from UNITA held area in UN Memoirs – 1. In here, I am taking up one event each from evacuation of Cuito and Luena. These 2 events have seared across my memory of helplessness in adversity
Cuito.. Our final hours
C-130 was lined up for evacuation in the morning. Hurried ferries had been completed for loading equipment, gen sets and vehicles. Not too distant boom of artillery guns could be heard occasionally. Slowly the word was spreading that UN after its decade long presence was leaving.
Crowd started building up at airport gates. Govt soldiers were few, just 4-5, and couldn’t stop them for long. They spilled onto the tarmac, about 35-40 of them. Of these, about 10-12 of them rushed inside the aircraft. More wanted to rush in. Only waiting for the opportunity, a gap. We were too few to impose our will physically and neither did we have any weapons to threaten.
Any attempt to dislodge was futile. They were hanging on to every piece of equipment. We called in the Govt soldiers. They were also too few and their plea too was of no avail. Their warning to shoot also failed. They offered to actually shoot but we were UN, mandated to do just the opposite. It was evident the civilians were willing to die rather than leave. The only silver lining at that time was the soldiers who were able to prevent any more from boarding.
I huddled into the cockpit. The pilot said he could try to take off with additional 5-6 but 10-12 was not possible. Time was of essence as more people could break in. Something out of the box had to be done. Had to be done soon. I called the Team Leader to address the ones sitting outside the aircraft. We informed them that if they were able to convince all males to come out, then we would permit double the number of vulnerable females to board.
The condition was implicitly made clear “All males had to deboard otherwise, I would go and meet the Governor to request for more troops to assist us.” I knew, if they did not agree then it would mean, spending the night in the aircraft in a hostile environment building up by the hour.
In addition, the comforts of our boarding and lodging had already been given up and would have been ransacked long back. There was no other choice. The boarding was to be restricted to only females. It did not make sense to many. Ifsome people had to be taken, then I thought we should help the vulnerable.
This way at least some benefit could go to each family and would also appeal to their common sense. Their leaders were taken inside to plead and fortunately all 6 males agreed to come out leaving behind only 4 females. The leaders trusted us and did not express the disbelief, how the increase in numbers would be managed. It only made sense later, when they saw the water trailer being brought out of the aircraft. I was willing to sacrifice a mere piece of metal and machinery in exchange for safe exit with additional passengers. While the manifest list was being made, the trailer was offloaded.
We were able to board 15 mothers with small children, 5 pregnant women and an extra 3 elderly females too. The smiling faces on board, good bye hand waves from all on ground was a soul healing sight to watch as we took off. I would like to believe that we also received a 3-rifle fire salute from the soldiers who fired excitedly in a celebratory mood in the air, as we left.
UN Archives
Somewhere hidden in the files is a noting which says that the axle of the water trailer broke down while being transported to the airfield. The trailer being irretrievable was deleted from the list of items being recovered in view of the urgency of the situation.
Luena.. Our final hours
Soon it was time to close our Eastern Regional HQ at Luena too, along with its UN Post. All that could be packed and loaded in 2x C-130s were being evacuated. My Land Rover being of a very new vintage was on the manifest to be loaded last. After all was done and ready for take-off, my last memories of Luena are receiving a message from the Provincial Governor for one last meeting, if possible.
I was surprised since we had bid final goodbyes a day before. However, I was also sceptical that the Govt Liaison Officer may have let out our little secret. I asked my colleagues to delay the take off and rushed for the meeting in the Land Rover. Sometimes, such endings can become long lasting memories.
On catching up with him in his office, I was thrown off balance, when he asked me, was I not going to present him with something to remember by before leaving. Fortunately, my vehicle also had my personal bags. I had carried from India few gifts for happier occasions.
Much to his astonishment, I pulled out one such item for him. Not expecting a quick response, he was indeed stumped. The whole thing was happening so quickly that the situation was evolving on its own.
None of us were likely to ever meet again. And then, I was pleasantly surprised by his reciprocal gesture. It was a military fatigue including cap and belt. Made in Portugal. Nothing was produced in Angola, except of course, oil and diamonds. Uniforms of all military were imported. It was overwhelming. I knew the hard times they were in. It must have been difficult to come by, especially in Luena, a forgotten land far in the East of the country. Later, I will find these were available in the black market in the capital Luanda, of course at an exorbitant price.
It was the gesture and the effort behind it that mattered. There was no electricity to even light lup his house at night. We had extended a power line from our generator for the past one year. His fate would be decided in the next few days or few months as fighting was expected to commence soon with UNITA. Realising his predicament and the sensitivity of the situation, I clasped his hand with both my hands, engulfed him in a reassuring bear hug and left. I didn’t have the courage to look back and ended my journey straight inside the belly of C-130.
UN Archives
Somewhere hidden in the files is a noting that states that Eastern Regional HQ had deleted the heavy generator with its tank full with oil, from its manifests because we had been provided only 2 instead of the requisitioned 3 x C-130 flights for evacuation on the final day. This was the little secret which the Govt LO was to disclose only after we had evacuated that we were leaving behind it, as a much-needed requirement for the Governor.
More than a year and a half’s stay of mine in the Eastern Region had ended. All gains made by UN in Eastern Region over the decade long efforts by my predecessors put together had come to nought. Gloom loomed heavy on all our heads.
The only thing that gave some consolation was, I am glad to report, we lost no lives on my watch. I thank the Almighty for His divine grace.
