Angola's Independence: A Historical Overview

Angola has been an independent country since 1975, following the Alvor Agreement with Portugal, which ended the Angolan War of Independence. The country's independence was preceded by 14 years of armed resistance to Portuguese colonial rule, during which three major movements fought for liberation: the Movimiento Popular de Liberación de Angola, MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola), the Front for the National Liberation of Angola, FLNA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola), and the National Union for Total Independence of Angola, UNITA.

Angola's independence was preceded by 14 years of armed resistance to Portuguese colonial rule

In the 15th century, Portuguese colonists began trading in the region, and by the 16th century, they had established a settlement in Luanda. Portugal annexed territories in the region, which were ruled as a colony from 1655, and Angola was incorporated as an overseas province of Portugal in 1951.

In the 1940s and 1950s, groups of urban and educated Angolans began forming socialist resistance groups that engaged in anti-state agitation. In the 1950s, the Portuguese state responded to suspected nationalists with arbitrary imprisonment and physical abuse.

The Angolan War of Independence, also known as the Armed Struggle of National Liberation, began in March 1961. The war was fought between the Angolan nationalist forces of the MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA, and Portugal. It started as an uprising against the Portuguese imposition of forced cultivation of cotton as a commodity crop. As resistance spread, multiple factions developed that struggled for control of Portugal's overseas province of Angola.

The war ended in April 1974 when a peaceful coup in Lisbon overthrew Portugal's Estado Novo dictatorship. The new regime stopped all military action in the African colonies and granted them independence without delay.

The Angolan War of Independence was part of the wider Portuguese Colonial War, which included the independence wars of Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. The Angolans waged a guerrilla war, and the Portuguese army and security forces conducted a counter-insurgency campaign against armed groups in sparsely populated areas of the Angolan countryside.

After the Portuguese withdrew, an armed conflict broke out among the nationalist movements. The war formally ended in January 1975 when the Portuguese government and the nationalist movements signed the Alvor Agreement. However, the civil war resumed by May 1975, with street fighting in Luanda and the surrounding countryside.

The conflict among the nationalist movements continued until November 11, 1975, when Angola gained independence through the Alvor Agreement. However, the violence continued, as the MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA fought for control of the emerging state.

The Alvor Agreement was signed in January 1975 by the three major Angolan independence movements

Angola has been independent from Portugal for almost 48 years. The Alvor Agreement, signed on the 15th of January 1975, was a crucial step in the process of Angola's independence. The agreement was signed by the Portuguese government and the three major Angolan independence movements: the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The agreement established a transitional government, which included representatives from each of the four parties.

The Alvor Agreement brought an end to the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence, which had begun in 1961 as a war of independence fought between Angolan nationalist forces and Portugal. The war ended in 1974 with a peaceful coup in Lisbon, which overthrew Portugal's Estado Novo dictatorship. The new regime agreed to grant independence to its African colonies without delay.

The three Angolan independence movements, MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA, had previously negotiated peace agreements with the transitional Portuguese government. However, despite agreeing to form a coalition, civil war resumed in July 1975 as the nationalist factions attempted to seize control of the country by force. Each faction was distrustful of the others and unwilling to share power.

The Alvor Agreement established a framework for the transition to Angolan independence, which was officially granted on the 11th of November 1975. The agreement called for the integration of the militant wings of the Angolan parties into a new military force, the Angolan Defense Forces (ADF). It also outlined plans for elections to be held for the National Assembly of Angola in October 1975.

However, the agreement did not establish a mechanism to verify the number of fighters from each force, and all three parties soon had forces greater in number than the Portuguese, leading to renewed factional fighting. The transitional government fell apart, and the country descended into civil war, which lasted until 2002.

Political differences between the parties that signed the Alvor Agreement led to civil war

Angola has been an independent country since 1975, following the Alvor Agreement. However, the agreement's failure to unify the various nationalist factions led to a civil war that lasted until 2002.

The Alvor Agreement was signed on 15 January 1975 in Alvor, Portugal, by the Portuguese government and three nationalist movements: the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The agreement ended the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence and granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November 1975. It established a transitional government with a rotating premiership, consisting of the Portuguese High Commissioner and representatives from each of the three Angolan parties.

However, the agreement was flawed in several ways. Firstly, it failed to include two important separatist movements, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) and the Eastern Revolt, in the negotiations. Secondly, it allowed only the MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA to nominate candidates for the first assembly elections, deliberately disenfranchising other ethnic groups and whites. This was a paradoxical decision by the Portuguese government, whose main goal in the negotiations was to prevent the mass emigration of white Angolans. The agreement also lacked a mechanism to verify the number of fighters from each force, and the Portuguese forces lacked the equipment and commitment to maintain peace.

As a result of these issues, the transitional government soon fell apart, and the nationalist factions attempted to take control of the country by force. The MPLA, backed by the Eastern Bloc, took control of the capital, Luanda, while the FNLA and UNITA, supported by the US, Zaire, and South Africa, established a rival government in Huambo. The civil war was also fuelled by increased foreign supplies of arms, with the Cuban government warning the Eastern Bloc as early as February that the Alvor Agreement would not succeed. By August, the MPLA had control of 11 of the 15 provincial capitals, and on 10 November 1975, Portugal left Angola. The MPLA, with Cuban support, maintained control of Luanda and declared independence as the Angolan People's Republic. The FNLA and UNITA responded by proclaiming their own government, and South African forces invaded Angola later that month.

The MPLA, in control of the capital city, declared itself the government of independent Angola

Angola has been an independent country since 1975, when it gained independence from Portugal.

The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was founded in 1956, merging two nationalist organisations and centring itself in the country's capital city of Luanda. The MPLA fought against the Portuguese Army in the Angolan War of Independence from 1961 to 1974.

In 1974, a coup d'état in Portugal established a military government that agreed to hand power to a coalition of three pro-independence Angolan movements, including the MPLA. However, the coalition quickly broke down, and the newly independent Angola descended into civil war.

The MPLA, led by Agostinho Neto, maintained control over Luanda and the lucrative oil fields of the Atlantic coastline. On 11 November 1975, Neto declared the independence of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola as the People's Republic of Angola.

The MPLA's declaration was not recognised by all governments. The MPLA, supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union, continued to fight for control of the country against the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), which were backed by South Africa and the United States.

The MPLA emerged victorious, and the party has ruled Angola since the country's independence.

The MPLA was supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union, while UNITA was backed by South Africa and the USA

Angola has been independent from Portugal since 1975, following the Alvor Agreement.

The Angolan Civil War began immediately after independence and lasted until 2002. It was a power struggle between two former anti-colonial guerrilla movements: the communist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the anti-communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

The MPLA was supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Cubans sent significant combat and support personnel contingents to Angola, becoming the MPLA's strongest ally. The Soviet Union provided military aid and financial support to the MPLA.

UNITA was backed by South Africa and the USA. UNITA's main ally was the apartheid regime of South Africa. The USA provided clandestine support to UNITA and other nations also provided military aid, including Israel, Morocco, and Zaire.

The Angolan Civil War was one of the most prominent Cold War proxy wars, with the Soviet Union and Cuba assisting the MPLA, and the USA and South Africa supporting UNITA.

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