Mass Grave of 500 Discovered in Angola
Angolan authorities have reported the discovery of a mass grave at a cemetery in Luanda, known as "Cemetery 14," containing the remains of approximately 500 individuals, believed to be victims of purges following an alleged failed coup attempt on May 27, 1977. This is the largest finding since the establishment of the Commission for the Implementation of the Reconciliation Plan in Memory of Victims of Political Conflicts (CIVICOP) in 2019. The existence of this mass grave was known since 1977, but its exact location had not been determined until now.
CIVICOP was created to strengthen national reconciliation after numerous internal conflicts that occurred between the declaration of independence in November 1975 and the end of the civil war in 2022; the main focus of the commission is to locate graves and mass burials.
The administration of then-President Agostinho Neto accused Minister of Internal Affairs Nito Alves of attempting a coup on May 27, 1977, which led to a wave of purges and executions. Estimates suggest that between two and forty thousand people may have died during the repressions; the exact number of victims remains unknown.
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To date, CIVICOP has discovered the remains of 316 individuals across eight provinces and confirmed the deaths of 3,248 people in various internal conflicts following Angola's independence.
Angola's Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Marcy Lopes, who also coordinates CIVICOP, stated in an interview with TPA that "the remains will be sent for laboratory analysis to confirm the identities of the deceased and assist families in the identification process." He also noted that the discovery of the burial site followed five years of investigation.
