August 11, 2004 The long civil war is over, but not the civil strife. The main rebel organization, UNITA, is now a political party. The ruling party, the MPLA, is still fighting with UNITA outside the capital. The MPLA has the edge, as it controls the army and police. The MPLA, using oil money, is brining in weapons from China and military trainers from Cuba to beef up its combat capability. Corruption is still common, and an armed opposition is unlikely. In the past, UNITA got weapons from South Africa and the United States. No more. So the ruling party of Angola slides in the tropical dictatorship so common in Africa, and so difficult to reform.