Henrique N'zita Tiago (14 July 1927[1] – 3 June 2016)[2][3] was President of the Armed Forces of Cabinda, a rebel group that fights for the independence of Cabinda from Angola.[4] He died in Paris on 3 June 2016.[2][5] It was reported that Tiago was 88 years old when he died, and that he was buried in France[6] – as Cabinda was not independent at the time of his death.[5]
He was born on July 14, 1927,[1] at the mission of San Jose de Luali in the region of Dinge,[7] or in Mboma Lubinda,[3]Cabinda, into a modest family.[7]
In 1963, he co-founded the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) to fight against Portuguese colonial rule.[2] Because he was part of the FLEC, he was arrested in 1970 by the colonial PIDE.[8] He served his sentence in the São Nicolau jail in Bentiaba.[9] He was released in 1974, opened a FLEC office in Tchiowa, the capital of Cabinda;[9] and a year later, he was appointed chairman of the FLEC.[10] Upon learning that the Portuguese government was planning to include Cabinda as part of Angola, N'zita started an armed conflict against Angola's pro-independence armed groups.[3] His firm position to achieve the independence of Cabinda only by military means caused the FLEC to fragment into different factions.[9]
