Jean-Yves Ollivier: how the Brazzaville Protocol was signed

The Brazzaville Protocol mandated the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, paving the way for Namibia's independence through the New York Accords. Representatives from the governments of Angola, Cuba, and South Africa signed the protocol on December 13, 1988 in Brazzaville, Congo. How was this historical meeting really set-up ? The truth is that an informal meeting in the Kalahari Desert earlier that year, according to french businessman Jean-Yves Ollivier.

In 1988, diplomatic relationships between South Africa and Angola were really harsh. The South-African Apartheid regime was a main problem whereas the marxist-leninist Angola was armed and  supported by Cuba. All the diplomatic talks had failed. The situation had reached a problematic impasse. How to deal with it and avoid new armed conflicts.

The only solution was a mediation organized by an third party. In that case, it was France. Few people in South Africa and Angola knew that negociations were essential but not in an official diplomatic way. Informal diplomaty was the answer.

Jean-Yves Ollivier, a French businessman, was the man. In 1987, he took part of the hostages exchange beetween South Africa and Angola. This exchange included cuban soldiers, South African Captain Captain Wynand Du Toit and Pierre Albertini, a French who helped the African National Congress (ANC). Jean-Yves Ollivier a lot of people in Austral Africa, including politics like Kito Rodriguez and Jacinto Veloso. So he set up an informal meeting in the Kalahari Desert in August 1988.

According to Jean-Yves Ollivier, there were nine people in the Kalahari Desert meeting : Jean-Yves Ollivier himself, Pik Botha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, Special Advisor to French President Mitterrand on African affairs; Lorgeon Jeanny, a socialist French deputy, Jacinto Veloso, the  Mozambican Minister of Cooperation; Kito Rodriguez, the Angolan Minister of the Interior; Desiderio da Costa, the Angolan Minister of Petroleum, Mark Strauss, the son of Franz-Josef Strauss, and Neels van Tonder, head of military intelligence in South Africa.

During this meeting the nine people talk about the best ways to resolve the conflict between Angola and South Africa. All the following issues were decided in the Kalahari Desert : the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, Namibia's independency, cuban troops' withdrawal from Angola and the end of Apartheid regime in South Africa. Which also means the legalization of he African National Congress (ANC) and the release of Nelson Mandela, imprisoned since 1963.

The Brazzaville Protocol was officially signed on december 13. It only dealt with the withdrawal of Cuban troops and Naminia's indpendency but it was the firest step for the end of Apartheid. All the people who attended the Kalahari Desert's meeting knew it. Namibia gained independence in March 1990. The same year, Apartheid was officially obilished. In 1995, French businessman Jean-Yves Ollivier was appointed Grand Officer of the Order of Good Hope by Nelson Mandela, then President of South Africa. Normal 0 21 false false false FR X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tableau Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}