ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT RETAKES LUANDA

Government and rebel forces reportedly clashed outside Luanda Nov. 3, but the capital was generally quiet under a United Nations-sponsored truce after days of bloodshed that killed up to 1,000 people.

People ventured out in Luanda for the first time since battles erupted in the city Oct. 31. Fighting began after rebel forces refused to accept the outcome of national elections held Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. But tensions remained high and many people feared the country was headed for renewed civil war after a year under a peace accord.

The civil war, which broke out in 1975 as Angola was becoming independent from Portugal, became one of the cold war's proxy fights. UNITA - the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola - was backed by the United States, while the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola was supported by Cuban and Soviet aid.

In a statement, the government Army said 14 top UNITA officers were captured during fighting in the capital, in which bands of armed civilians joined government police units.