Angolan War of Independence

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The Angolan War of Independence (1961–1989) was a multi-faction struggle for control of Angola.

[edit] Background

Further information: Portuguese Colonial War

Portugal had had a presence in Angola for almost 500 years, with full control of the country for half a century. Angola was a colony, although Portuguese colonialism was of a softer variety than that practised by other European powers, such as Britain.

The 1933 Portuguese Colonial Act recognized the supremacy of Portuguese over native people, and, even if locals could pursue all studies including university, the de facto situation was of clear disadvantage. Beginning in the 1950s, many Portuguese people settled in Angola, encouraged by the authoritarian government of Salazar.

In that time period, several groups pushing for independence from Portugal were formed.

The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) were a front representing the tribal powers and intelligentsia in the Kumbundu and Luanda. They had economic ties to several eastern Europe countries, including the Soviet Union, as well as Zambia, and had the support of the Portuguese Communist Party.

The National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), led by Holden Roberto, were another front with a power base in the north and ties to the United States and Zaire. They were formed in 1962 by a combination of two smaller Congo nationalist groups, the UPA and the PDA. The FNLA received funding from the Organization of African Unity and Zaire.

The National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) was a Maoist front based in the centre of the country. Founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi, an ex-FNLA leader, its base of support was Ovimbudu, Chokwe, and Ovambo tribes. UNITA initially had little foreign aid, enjoying only small assistance from China, but later on gained the support of South Africa, Zaire, the United States, Morocco, Israel, Cote d'Ivoire, and Zambia.

[edit] Timeline

1961 - Struggle begins in Angola
1974 - Angolan government topples, three movements take power in coalition
- FNLA and UNITA receive military support from the United States, Zaire, and South Africa
- MPLA receives military support from Cuba and the Soviet Union
- November - MPLA dominance causes most South African and American forces to withdraw
November 11, 1975 - Portugal recognizes Angolan independence, although giving it symbolically to the Angolan people, because of the disrespect of the Alvor Agreement, withdraws from capital, upon which time MPLA takes the capital, installing Agostinho Neto as first president.
1976 - Portugal recognizes the MPLA government.
On June 28, 1976 the trial of some FNLA mercenaries came to an end. An (MPLA) Angolan court sentenced four to death and nine others to prison terms ranging from 16 to 30 years. The three Britons and an American were shot by a firing squad on July 10, 1976.
1988 - A combined MPLA and Cuban force numbering 18,000 supported by Warsaw Pact planes, pilots and advisors fight 3,000 South African and 8,000 UNITA forces the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Cuban/MPLA offensive is stopped by the SADF and UNITA rebels. The SADF's small but mechanized forces were augmented by the first use of the new G5 towed howitzer which caused large casualties among the Cuban/MPLA units. The official Cuban line was subsequently put forward claiming victory. Throughout the campaign the South Africans, involved in an unpopular, undeclared war and without allies in the West, refrained from making any public statements on the battle. Additionally the SADF would not reveal that it only had a small combat force of less than 3,000 troops in Angola and not the 9,000 the Cubans had thought as this would have revealed their order of battle to the enemy. This gave the Cubans and Angolans the advantage in the propaganda war.
- It was not until after the war had ended and, especially, the end of apartheid that the facts emerged. The results of the campaign were 4,785 killed on the Cuban/Faplan side. Over 90 tanks were destroyed. The SADF suffered 31 killed in action, 3 tanks and 11 mechanized vehicles destroyed. A total of 9 Migs were destroyed and 1 SAAF Mirage shot down. UNITA casualties numbered in the hundreds. At the end of 1987 during the negotiations that followed, one of the conditions of the Cubans was that they would withdraw if the South Africans similarly exit Angola. The Cubans, like the South Africans, were spending scarce resources in the region but did not want to withdraw from Angola in disgrace.
- In the end involvement in Angola was too much for the resources of either Cuba or South Africa. The costs of their involvement combined with a poor economy and rising protests against apartheid caused the South Africans to eventually withdraw. In a similar fashion, the Cubans, suffering large numbers of casualties, an increasing numbers of troops suffering from AIDs and losing subsidies from the Soviet Union began to withdraw their troops leaving UNITA and the MPLA to continue the conflict.
January 10, 1989 - Fighting ceases in a United Nations-brokered agreement between remaining forces and Angolan government, whereby under U.N. supervision a democratic system would be put into place and foreign troops would withdraw.
1992 - MPLA wins the elections and José Eduardo dos Santos is re-elected as President, but UNITA does not accept the results of the elections and the civil war starts again.
February 22, 2002 - Jonas Savimbi is killed by the Angolan army.
2002 - cease-fire.