Tito Chingunji
Encyclopedia
Tito Chingunji served as the foreign secretary of Angola
's UNITA
rebel movement in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the mid-1980s, he was UNITA's representative in Washington, D.C.
Chingunji was murdered in Angola in 1991 under circumstances still not fully understood. Some blamed his murder of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi
, who purportedly viewed Tingunji as a political threat. Savimbi, however, suggested his killing was more likely the work of UNITA dissidents or the Central Intelligence Agency
, which, Savimbi argued, had supported Chingunji in an effort to overthrow him.
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
's UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
rebel movement in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the mid-1980s, he was UNITA's representative in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Chingunji was murdered in Angola in 1991 under circumstances still not fully understood. Some blamed his murder of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi
Jonas Savimbi
Jonas Malheiro Savimbi was an Angolan political leader. He founded and led UNITA, a movement that first waged a guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial rule, 1966–1974, then confronted the rival MPLA during the decolonization conflict, 1974/75, and after independence in 1975 fought the ruling...
, who purportedly viewed Tingunji as a political threat. Savimbi, however, suggested his killing was more likely the work of UNITA dissidents or the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, which, Savimbi argued, had supported Chingunji in an effort to overthrow him.