Exhumation and repatriation of the remains of the Ebo 4, Kwanza Sul Province, Angola

Abstract

Between 23 and 25 November 1975, four South African soldiers died during military involvement (Operation Savannah) in Angola. The events took place near Ebo, in central Angola. At the time, it was impossible for the SAforces to recover the bodies, and the exact location of the graves remained uncertain. Three individuals died when their reconnaissance aircraft was shot down, while the fourth died in an ambush of an armoured car. The aim of this paper is to report on the excavation and repatriation of the remains, illustrating the value of the application of sound forensic archaeological techniques to reconstruct events. The gravesite of three individuals was pointed out by members of the local community and was marked by wreckage on the surface. Severely burned skeletal remains and fragments of the aircraft were excavated at shallow depth. It was clear that these individuals were not formally buried and apparently pieces of wreckage and human remains were dragged into the burial pit. The victims most probably died on impact. The excavation was complex but with careful investigation, three different individuals could be distinguished. Samples were taken for DNA analysis, although extraction was unsuccessful. Despite information from a number of individuals and several test pits, the grave of the fourth individual who had died separately in the armoured car ambush could not be found. The remains of the Ebo individuals were returned to South Africa and placed in theWall of Remembrance at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, thus bringing closure for their relatives.