Henrique N'Zita Tiago
Leader of the militant wing of the 'Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda' (FLEC)
Place of Birth: Cabinda
Ethnicity: Ioyo
Leading the most radical Cabindan faction, Tiago has held out against
MPLA pressure to compromise on Cabinda's status. Competition between
the rival policical factions in Cabinda is fierce. Tiagos's involvement
with the Cabindan separatists dates back to the formation of the Movimento de Libertação do Enclave do Cabinda (MLEC) in 1961, which
became FLEC in 1963. FLEC split into three factions in 1975, out of
which Tiago led his own group, FLEC-FAC; he helped plan many FLEC-FAC
early military operations, including kidnapping four French oil and gas
technicians on the Congolese border with Cabinda. Tiago is distantly
related to Gabon's President Omar Bongo, who organised a round-table of
all Cabindan groups in 1995.