The Angolan Civil War (Portuguese: Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil
war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes,
until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent
from Portugal in November 1975. The war 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 war
was used as a surrogate battleground for the Cold War by rival states
such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa and the United
States.[36]The MPLA and UNITA had different roots in Angolan society
and mutually incompatible leaderships, despite their shared aim of
ending colonial rule. A third movement, the National Front for the
Liberation of Angola (FNLA), having fought the MPLA with UNITA during
the war for independence, played almost no role in the Civil War.
Additionally, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
(FLEC), an association of separatist militant groups, fought for the
independence of the province of Cabinda from Angola.[37] With the
assistance of Cuban soldiers and Soviet support, the MPLA managed to
win the initial phase of conventional fighting, oust the FNLA from
Luanda and become the de facto Angolan government.[38] The FNLA
disintegrated, but the U.S. and South Africa-backed UNITA continued
its irregular warfare against the MPLA-government from its base in the
east and south of the country.The 27-year war can be divided roughly
into three periods of major fighting â€" from 1975 to 1991, 1992 to
1994 and from 1998 to 2002 â€" with fragile periods of peace. By the
time the MPLA achieved victory in 2002, more than 500,000 people had
died and over one million had been internally displaced.[39] The war
devastated Angola's infrastructure and severely damaged public
administration, the economy and religious institutions.
war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes,
until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent
from Portugal in November 1975. The war 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 war
was used as a surrogate battleground for the Cold War by rival states
such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa and the United
States.[36]The MPLA and UNITA had different roots in Angolan society
and mutually incompatible leaderships, despite their shared aim of
ending colonial rule. A third movement, the National Front for the
Liberation of Angola (FNLA), having fought the MPLA with UNITA during
the war for independence, played almost no role in the Civil War.
Additionally, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
(FLEC), an association of separatist militant groups, fought for the
independence of the province of Cabinda from Angola.[37] With the
assistance of Cuban soldiers and Soviet support, the MPLA managed to
win the initial phase of conventional fighting, oust the FNLA from
Luanda and become the de facto Angolan government.[38] The FNLA
disintegrated, but the U.S. and South Africa-backed UNITA continued
its irregular warfare against the MPLA-government from its base in the
east and south of the country.The 27-year war can be divided roughly
into three periods of major fighting â€" from 1975 to 1991, 1992 to
1994 and from 1998 to 2002 â€" with fragile periods of peace. By the
time the MPLA achieved victory in 2002, more than 500,000 people had
died and over one million had been internally displaced.[39] The war
devastated Angola's infrastructure and severely damaged public
administration, the economy and religious institutions.
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