安哥拉人民共和国

The People's Republic of Angola (Portuguese: República Popular de Angola) was declared on 11 November 1975 by leaders of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), at the time a Marxist–Leninist organisation, as a communist state. The Angolan War of Independence from Portugal which had begun 14 years prior in 1961 ended with the Alvor Agreement, which granted independence to Angola under a transitional government that initially included groups such as the FNLA and UNITA along with the MPLA.

Disagreements between these factions resulted in civil war, which escalated following the MPLA's unilateral declaration of a people's republic in November; it competed with the rival Democratic People's Republic of Angola (UNITA), backed by South Africa and the United States, and received aid from Cuba and the Soviet Union, to which it was aligned to in the Cold War until its dissolution in 1991. The landmark Tripartite Accord of 1988 led to the withdrawal of South African and Cuban forces from Angola, and following the Bicesse Accords Angola transitioned into a multiparty democracy that was finalised with the adoption of a new constitution in 1992 while civil war between UNITA and MPLA forces continued until 2002.

History

War of Independence, 1961–1975

In 1961, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), based in neighbouring countries, launched a guerrilla campaign against Portuguese rule in Angola, in what was called the Overseas Province of Angola. In 1966, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) joined the struggle for independence against Portugal. The MPLA was Marxist-Leninist and backed by both Cuba and the Soviet Union. UNITA was primarily backed by China. The war lasted until the overthrow of Portugal's Estado Novo regime in 1974 through the Carnation Revolution.

On 15 January 1975 the different parties signed the Alvor Accords. The agreement promised Angolan independence and elections for the National Assembly of Angola in October 1975. The agreement also called for the integration of the Angolan parties into a new unified Angolan military.

Civil War, 1975–1991

During the independence war, the three pro-independent groups sometimes fought each other, in addition to the Portuguese. Following the Alvor Accords, the relationship between these groups deteriorated further. In July 1975, the MPLA violently forced the FNLA out of Luanda, while UNITA voluntarily withdrew to its stronghold in the south. By August, the MPLA had conquered 11 of the 15 provincial capitals, including the capital city Luanda, and also the oil rich Cabinda, which was claimed by the separatist Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). On October 23, South Africa launched Operation Savannah, with 2,000 soldiers crossing from Namibia in support of both the FNLA and UNITA. They quickly captured five provincial capitals from the MPLA. Zaire also intervened from the north against the MPLA in support of the FNLA. At the start of November, Cuba sent 4,000 soldiers in support of the MPLA as part of Operation Carlota.

On 11 November 1975, Agostinho Neto, the leader of the MPLA, declared Angola's independence as the People's Republic of Angola a one-party Marxist-Leninist state. In response, UNITA declared Angolan independence as the Social Democratic Republic of Angola in Huambo, while the FNLA declared the Democratic Republic of Angola based in Ambriz. FLEC declared the independence of the Republic of Cabinda. The FNLA and UNITA forged an alliance on 23 November 1975, proclaiming their own coalition government, the Democratic People's Republic of Angola, based in Huambo with FLNA's Holden Roberto and UNITA's Jonas Savimbi as co-presidents.