Elias Malungo Bravo da Costa Pedro (died 14 September 2011), more commonly known by his ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Kalias, was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

of the

Angolan Armed Forces The Angolan Armed Forces () or FAA is the military of Angola. The FAA consist of the Angolan Army (), the Angolan Navy () and the National Air Force of Angola (). Reported total manpower in 2021 was about 107,000. The FAA is headed by the C ...

Angolan Civil War

During the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

Pedro fought on the side of

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Liberat ...

as a military leader in the country's interior. He was part of the so-called "third generation" of UNITA leaders brought up within the organization and educated inside Angola and abroad on UNITA scholarships, along with Azevedo Kanganje, Adélio Chitekulo, Jorge Sanguende, Adalberto da Costa Jr., and Jardo Muekalia. He had a sister, Domingas Pedro, who was reportedly close to UNITA leader

Jonas Savimbi Jonas Malheiro Sidónio Sakaita Savimbi (; 3 August 1934 – 22 February 2002) was an Angolan revolutionary, politician, and rebel military leader who founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( UNITA). UNITA was on ...

. In 1992, while holding the rank of

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

, Pedro was named as the UNITA representative to the joint commission overseeing the implementation of the Tripartite Accord, which included the integration of UNITA troops into the government army. By 1999 he was already described as "a member of Savimbi's inner circle". In 2000, his military responsibilities increased, and he linked up with other high-level UNITA figures such as Abilio Kamalata. He was the director of Savimbi's office. Following Savimbi's death in February 2002, there were some reports that he had been captured by government troops. He was one of the UNITA leaders who participated in the meetings which led to the 2002 ceasefire.

Post-war

In April 2003, Pedro was named head of the army's Office of Communication and Image (Gabinete de Comunicação e Imagem) under the Principal Directorate of Patriotic Education (Direcção Principal de Educação Patriótica). In July 2008, while still holding that same position, he appeared before the Supreme Military Tribunal on charges of assaulting a civilian during an altercation in 2003; the complainant, a man with alleged links to the Angolan intelligence service, had stated to Pedro that he and other UNITA members deserved to share the same fate as Savimbi (who had been killed in combat). In December 2009, he received Gen.

Godfrey Ngwenya General Godfrey Nhlanhla Ngwenya (born 1950) is a former South African military commander and diplomat. He served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2001 to 2005, and Chief of the South African National Defence Force from 2005 until 2011. Ear ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

at the airport when the latter came to Angola for a four-day visit to meet Angolan Armed Forces officers. He was killed in the 2011 Angolan Air Force crash along with Lt. Gen. Lelo Kizua. He was buried in a family cemetery in his home province of

Benguela Benguela (; Umbundu: Luombaka) is a city in western Angola, capital of Benguela Province. Benguela is one of Angola's most populous cities with a population of 555,124 in the city and 561,775 in the municipality, at the 2014 census. History Por ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedro, Kalias Year of birth missing 2011 deaths Members of UNITA People from Benguela Province Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Angola 20th-century births Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2011