MONUA

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MONUA (Mission d'Observation des Nations Unies à l'Angola; English: UN Observation Mission in Angola) was the last peacekeeping mission of the United Nations in Angola, from June 1997 until February 1999. It was preceded by three other peacekeeping missions, UNAVEM I, II and III.

The Angolan Civil War lasted from 1974 to 2002 and was the longest-during conflict in Africa. Since 1988, Blue Helmets were present in Angola as observers to the conflict between the communist movement MPLA (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola), to which president Jose Eduardo dos Santos belongs, and the UNITA (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola), originally a Maoist movement.

At the beginning of the mission in 1997, the UN peacekeeping force consisted of approximately 3500 soldiers, observers and police constables, coming from 17 countries. This number was reduced to 400 in 1999, when the mission ended. Seventeen Blue Helmets died in the conflict.

Since the end of MONUA, no more UN peacekeeping forces are present in Angola.