News In Brief

March 28, 1984

UNITA rebels claim capture of Angolan town

Rebels fighting the Marxist government in Angola claimed Tuesday they had captured Sumbe, a town 190 miles south of Luanda, the capital, and killed 500 Angolan soldiers and 86 foreigners.

In a communique issued here by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the insurgents threatened to step up the fighting unless the government agreed to direct peace talks.

In Luanda, the official news agency Angop denied that Sumbe had fallen. It claimed government forces killed at least 30 UNITA ''bandits,'' captured 12, and put the rest to flight. Angop said the insurgents killed eight civilians, wounded 40, and kidnapped other civilians and foreigners, but did not say how many.