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Angola
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The Popular Liberation Movement of Angola, or MPLA, is founded with the help of the Portuguese Communist Party. Its aim is to liberate Angola from Portuguese control. It has the support of the Soviet Union.
Read a short
history
of Angola here.
Inspired by nationalist movements elsewhere, native Angolans launch guerrilla war against the Portuguese who control Angola.
The National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) is founded. It is supported by the United States and China. From its base in Congo, it wages guerrilla warfare in Angola.
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) is formed under the leadership of Jonas Savimba.
Read more about the founding of
UNITAS.
The Portuguese army withdraws from Angola. Civil war follows after this as rival nationalist groups try to take control of the country. The MPLA, in control of the capital city, declares itself the government of independent Angola.The MPLA is armed by the Soviet Union. UNITA and FNLA in Huambo also claim control of Angola. They are supported by Western powers and South Africa.
In Angola, the MPLA gains control of the whole country. It receives large amount of aid from the Soviet Union and Cuba.
In Angola the MPLA, stops an attempted coup by one of its members, and turns itself officially into a Marxist-Leninist party.
Jose Santos of the MPLA assumes leadership of the country.
The FNLA surrenders to the MPLA. But UNITA continues to fight against the MPLA government in Angola. The United States and South Africa support UNITA.
A peace agreement is reached between Angola, South Africa, Cuba and the United States. South Africa agrees to stop supporting UNITA. In return, the Cubans agree to withdraw their troops from the capital of Angola. This is done with the hope that fighting will cease in Angola.
After several unsuccessful attempts to restore peace to Angola, the United Nations finally leaves in 1999. Clashes continue between the ruling MPLA and UNITA.
Clashes
continue between UNITAs and MPLA.
President Santos and Jonas Savimbi of UNITAS agree to a cease-fire in Angola. The MPLA agree to make Angola a multiparty state. However, when Santos wins the UN-supervised elections, Savimbi refuses to accept the results. Fighting resumes in Angola.
The MPLA Central Committee decides to abandon Marxism-Leninism and the one-party state in Angola.
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