NATIONAL MOVEMENTS AND THE NEW STATES IN AFRICA
Preface
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN NATIONALISM
CHAPTER 2: THE ITALO-ETHIOPIAN WAR
CHAPTER 3: THE IMPACT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR ON AFRICA
CHAPTER FOUR:THE EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION
CHAPTER FIVE:THE GHANAIAN REVOLUTION
CHAPTER SIX:THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA: UNITY OR BALKANIZATION
CHAPTER SEVEN:PAN AFRICANISM
CHAPTER NINE:NEO-COLONIALISM
CHAPTER TEN:AFRICAN POLITICAL PARTIES: THEIR ROLE IN THE REGAINING OF INDEPENDENCE
CHAPTER ELEVEN:NATIONALISM IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER TWELVE: NATIONALISM IN CONGO
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:NATIONALISM IN TANGANYIKA
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:NATIONALISM IN KENYA: THE DEFEAT OF REGIONALISM
CHAPTER FIFTEEN:MAU- MAU IN KENYA (1952-1956)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:THE ALGERIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:THE ARMED STRUGGLE: THE 1960S AND 1970S
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE IN MOZAMBIQUE
CHAPTER NINETEEN:THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE IN ZIMBABWE
CHAPTER TWENTY:THE POLISARIO WAR IN WESTERN SAHARA
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:THE LIBERATION WAR IN NAMIBIA
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:AFRIKANER AND AFRICAN NATIONALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:NATIONALISM IN UGANDA
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR:UGANDA NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (UNLF) (1979-1980)
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE:PROBLEMS OF DISUNITY: CIVIL WAR IN SUDAN
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX:THE ERITREAN SECESSION WAR FROM 1961-1993
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX:POLITICAL INSTABILITIES IN THE HORN OF AFRICA.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN:SECESSIONISM IN ZAIRE, 1960-
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT:THE NIGERIAN CIVIL/ SECESSION WAR, 1967-70
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE:THE CIVIL WAR IN CHAD FROM 1965-1982
CHAPTER THIRTY:THE ANGOLAN CIVIL WAR, 1975-6
Introduction
Three Incompatible Nationalist Movements
How Cuban Troops Put the MPLA in Power
How the MPLA Victory Affected South Africa
Three "National" Governments Proclaimed Simultaneously
Causes of the civil war
How South Africa Aided Savimbi's Guerrillas
The Problems Facing President dos Santos
Effects of the civil war in Angola.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE:MOZAMBICAN CIVIL WAR 1977-1994
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO:THE RWANDA REVOLUTION- 1959-1994
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE:THE ZANZIBAR REVOLUTION OF 1964
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR:MILITARY COUP D'ETATS
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE:THE LIBYAN REVOLUTION- 1969
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX:THE ONE-PARTY SYSTEM
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN:MULTIPARTY SYSTEM
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT:NATIONAL UNITY AND SOCIALISM
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE:AFRICAN CULTURE
CHAPTER FOURTY:REGIONAL AFRICAN ECONOMIC ORGANIZATIONS
CHAPTER FOURTY ONE:POPULATION EXPLOSION IN AFRICA
CHAPTER FOURTY TWO:WARS BETWEEN INDEPENDENT AFRICAN STATES
CHAPTER FOURTY THREE:NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM)
CHAPTER FOURTY FOUR:MAJOR PROBLEMS OF AFRICA
CHAPTER FOURTY FIVE:THE BEST TECHNIQUES TO PASSING A' LEVEL HISTORY PAPER 1
REFERENCES

The three nationalist movements- the nationally more popular and socialist MPLA, and the two pro-Western but tribally-based FNLA and UNITA - were really incompatible in many aspects. Most of the inhabitants of Luanda (the capital town with a tenth of Angola's population) was for the MPLA, a movement which secured its aid from the Eastern bloc.

 

As Angola's independence neared, Western countries (especially the United States) increased their aid to the FNLA and UNITA as Russia and other Eastern countries did the same for the MPLA.

 

Although the three movements set up a transitional government in March 1975, during the same month, however, civil war broke out when troops belonging to the MPLA and FNLA fought fierce battles in Luanda. In the following month, UNITA joined the war against the MPLA. Within two months of fighting, tens of thousands of troops and civilians perished. Portugal mounted an urgent repatriation airlift of its citizens (nearly half a million) trapped in the chaotic Angola.

 

Initially, South Africa was reluctant to join the war. But through the prodding of the United States and France, South Africa committed some 2,000 troops to the civil war in October 1975. But by deploying such a small number of men (and even unaided by the air force), South Africa had grossly under-estimated the strength of the MPLA and its allies. The UNITA troops, re-inforced by the South African troops, advanced along the north¬west coast aiming at Luanda. Meanwhile, FNLA troops, armed by the West and aided by Zairean troops and white mercenaries, headed for Luanda from the south. The advancing armies scored much victory at the initial stage, and it appeared that the MPLA troops would soon be routed unless their Eastern allies despatched aid urgently.

 

Dr. Agostinho Neto, the MPLA leader, pleaded for military prop-up from his allies. Cuba flew in some 12,000 soldiers; Russia and other Eastern countries despatched arms and sophisticated military equipment including the deadly Stalin organs (Russian rocket-launchers). The Cubans were well-versed in the use of the modern Russian arms and equipment. On the other hand, the FNLA and UNITA soldiers, the white mercenaries and Zairean troops, were not properly familiar with the modern arms and equipment the West had poured in Angola.

 

In addition, they were out-numbered by the Cuban and MPLA troops.

 

Apprehensive of facing defeat, South Africa began to withdraw its troops from Angola in early 1976. The UNITA soldiers faced defeat and had been scattered by February 1976. The same fate befell the FNLA soldiers and their supportive mercenaries and Zairean troops. By March 1976, the MPLA was the undisputed master of Angola. The defeated UNITA troops fled into Namibia while some of the remainder hid in the forests of the vast Angola.

 

Most of the FNLA troops accompanied their Zairean colleagues and fled into Zaire. Many of the white mercenaries (recruited from the West and paid by Western countries), and South African troops were captured by the Cuban and MPLA soldiers, and were later displayed before international journalists. The captives were imprisoned, although most of them were later forgiven and released.

National Movements and New States in Africa