Angola's Woes - Part X

Continued from Part IX

The Chaotic 80s

As the 1980s drew to a close, political changes in both the Soviet Union and South Africa dramatically altered the situation in Angola. The Soviet Union became increasingly reluctant to fund the MPLA's war effort. The collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe undermined the MPLA's Marxist ideology.

Meanwhile, the winds of change were also blowing across South Africa. The white racist government began losing interest in its battles in Angola and Namibia. South Africa withdrew its troops from southern Angola in 1988 and signed an agreement with Angola and Cuba, which mandated the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola (The agreement paved the way for Namibia's independence in 1990). Although the cease-fire was observed and it was reported that all South African troops had duly departed by the end of August, agreement on a timetable for the Cuban withdrawal was not concluded.

As a result, implementation of the Namibian independence process was postponed. On 22 December 1988, the participants in the negotiations met in ew York, where a bilateral agreement was signed by Angola and Cuba, and a tripartite accord by Angola, Cuba and South Africa. Under these agreements, 1 April 1989 was designated as the implementation date for the Namibian independence process and Cuba undertook to complete a phased withdrawal of its estimated 50,000 troops from Angola by July 1991. All prisoners of war were to be exchanged, and the signatories of the tripartite accord were to refrain from supporting forces intent on undermining each other's governments. In accordance with the agreements, the UN Security Council authorized the creation of a UN Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM) to monitor the redeployment and withdrawal of Cuban troops. UNAVEM commenced operations in January 1989. Following the signing of the New York accords, the US government reassured UNITA of its continued support.

In early February 1989, the Angolan government offered a 12-month amnesty to members of the rebel organization, reaffirming the regime's aim of re-assimilating defectors from UNITA into society. However, UNITA reacted to the government's amnesty by launching a major offensive against FAPLA targets.

To be continued...