The Democratic International, also known as the Jamboree in Jamba, was a 1985 meeting of anti-Communist rebels held at the headquarters of
UNITA in
Jamba, Angola.
[J. Easton, Nina. ''Gang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Crusade'', 2000. Pages 165-167.]
The meeting was primarily funded by former
Rite Aid President
Lewis Lehrman and organized by anti-Communist activists
Jack Abramoff and Jack Wheeler. While the
Reagan administration privately supported the meeting, it did not publicize its position. The governments of
Israel and
South Africa supported the idea, but both respective countries were deemed inadvisable for hosting the conference.
Participants in the conference included at least four leaders of anti-communist insurgent movements:
Jonas Savimbi,
Adolfo Calero
Adolfo Calero Portocarrero (December 22, 1931 – June 2, 2012) was a Nicaraguan businessman and the leader of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, the largest rebel group of the Contras, opposing the Sandinista government.
Calero was responsi ...
,
Pa Kao Her, and
Abdul Rahim Wardak.
A number of American conservative lobbyists were also in attendance, including
Jack Abramoff,
Lewis Lehrman, and
Jack Wheeler.
Military representatives of South Africa and the US, including Lieutenant Colonel
Oliver North, were present as well.
Security at the event was handled by the
South African Defence Force.
The participants released a communiqué stating:
See also
*
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
*
International Freedom Foundation
References
{{Reflist
Angolan Civil War
Contras
Anti-communism
Front organizations
UNITA
1985 in Angola
Nicaraguan Revolution