Agostinho Neto: the failed vision of a united Africa – 2

In this second part of the series of the chronicles of António Agostinho Neto, we will chart out his freedom fighting activities in the long and bloody war against Portuguese colonial rule in Portuguese West Africa (Angola).

Neto was very determined to vanquish colonialism to ensure a free and prosperous developing Angola. Once he had this to say: “…Our contribution has to be given not only for the liquidation of the colonial system but also for the liquidation of ignorance, disease and primitive forms of social organisation… ”

As described in the first part of the story of Neto, on the 10th December 1956, Agostinho Neto formed the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), by merging several anti-colonial movements and was based in the capital city, Luanda.

It was supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union (USSR) to launch a liberation guerrilla war against the Portuguese.

The other anti-colonial movement that was launching the guerrilla war against the Portuguese to liberate Angola was the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (Unita) that was founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi. Unita received military aid from the United States and South Africa.

There was also the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA), which was a liberation movement under the leadership of Holden Roberto that was founded in 1961. The FNLA guerilla movement was formed by transforming the União dos Povos do Norte de Angola (UPNA) that was founded in 1954. The Unita and FLNA fought for the independence of Angola alongside the MPLA in the Angolan War for Independence from 1961 to1975 assisted by the US, Zaire and Israel.

Following an intense liberation warfare from MPLA, Unita and FLNA the Portuguese Colonial Government was forced to expedite the process to grant Angola’s independence.

It was on the 31st January 1975 the colonial government formed a transitional government involving all the three pro-independence freedom fighting groups the MPLA of Agostihno Neto, the FNLA of Holden Roberto and Unita of Jonas Savimbi.

But soon a disagreement among the groups brought hostilities. As a result the MPLA maintained control over a large part of Angola, including the capital city of Luanda.

In this situation, Agostihno Neto, assisted by Cuban and Soviet troops consolidated power and declared the independence in the Portuguese West Africa Province of Angola as the People’s Republic of Angola on the 11th November 1975.

Likewise FNLA and Unita together declared Angolan independence in Huambo Province.

These differences ignited a civil war between Unita and FNLA on one side and the MPLA on the other side.

The ensuing Angolan Civil War that raged between 1975 until 2002 was one of the most prominent proxy Cold War; with Unita receiving military aid from the capitalist United States (US) and South Africa while the MPLA received support from the Communist-socialist USSR, Cuba and its allies.

As civil war thundered, Neto was consolidating power and established a one-party state and his government developed close and strong links with communist-socialist Soviet Union, Cuba and other nations in the Eastern bloc who aided the MPLA considerably in its war with FNLA and Unita.

However, Marxism-Leninism was now the official doctrine of MPLA favouring a socialist ideology of economic development.

While Neto enjoyed the help and support of the Soviet Union and Cuba, he still encouraged Western investment in the country, particularly in oil and gas exploration and production. António Agostinho Neto died of cancer on the 10th September 1979 in Moscow and was succeeded by Jose Eduardo dos Santos as President of the Republic of Angola who continued the communist-socialist policies of Neto.

In 1992 the FNLA abandoned its liberation struggle in the Angolan civil war and reorganized itself as a political party and participated in the General Elections in the same year.

Unita on the other hand continued the armed struggle until 2002 when Jonas Savimbi was killed and as a consequence his successor Isaías Samakuva abandoned armed struggle and participated in electoral politics of 2002.

Dr Kafumu is the Member of Parliament for Igunga Constituency