Suspected UNITA rebels have attacked two buses in Angola, killing at least 38 people and injuring dozens. The official radio station, Radio Nacional de Angola said gunmen from the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) were responsible for the attack at Gabela in Cuanza Sul province, around 150 km southwest of the capital Luanda.
Both buses were carrying civilians but local authorities were not available to confirm the attack.
Analysts say UNITA has stepped up its activity recently, especially near the capital, in a bid to force the government back to the negotiating table.
Angola has known little but civil war since independence from Portugal in 1975. A shaky peace deal between the government and UNITA, reached in 1994, crumbled in 1998.
At least 250 people died last month when UNITA rebels attacked a train southeast of Luanda, shooting passengers who tried to flee after the train hit a landmine and exploded in a ball of flame.