|
| |
Angola
Near the end of 1975, 300,000 Portuguese colonialists deserted the country of Angola
in western Africa, depleting the country of most of its skilled work force and
deliberately destroying some of the country’s infrastructure. While Portugal’s
control over Angola was diminishing, the people of Angola were left to run their
government.
Three political parties immerged: the FNLA, UNITA, and the MPLA (Popular Movement for
the Liberation of the Angola Workers’ Party). The superpowers were quickly drawn into
the conflict. The Soviet Union supported the Marxist-influenced MPLA; whereas, the United
States supported the FNLA and UNITA (as did the neighboring South African colony of
Namibia). At the time, Namibia saw a socialist Angola as a regional threat. In October
1975, South Africa backed an FLNA and UNITA offensive against the MPLA. The MPLA received
military assistance from Cuba. On November 11, 1975, the day of independence from
Portugal, thousands of Cuban combat troops began to arrive in Angola. After that, the
Angolan government relied on Cuba for military support.
The Angolan economy survived on the oil sold to Western private enterprises. Nearly
90% of Angola’s total export earnings was oil income. The United States, fearing the
implications of a Soviet client state, pressured Angola to reduce its military reliance on
Cuba and the Soviet Union. The relations between the U.S. and the MPLA, in general, were
based on economic as well as ideological interests.
In 1988, South Africa and Cuba made regional agreements that stopped South Africa's
military support for UNITA and removed Cuban troops from Angola. A coalition government
was created in Namibia.
|
