Angola: from decades of civil war to a quintessential broker and geopolitical player?

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

When Portugal finally withdrew from Angola in 1975, the nation quickly descended into a civil war that would last nearly 30 years.

Unlike other European powers, Portugal was stubbornly opposed to granting independence to its colonies. It refused even to engage in the “arranged independence” that France implemented in the 1950s.

This led local political actors in Portuguese colonies to resort to prolonged armed struggles. Unfortunately, the ideological divide of the Cold War became entangled with the country’s quest for self-rule.

After a coup in Lisbon in 1974, Portugal hastily granted independence to its colonies – Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome, and Principe – leading to chaotic outcomes, particularly in Angola and Mozambique.

In Angola, Cuban forces supported by the Soviet Union backed the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), while apartheid South Africa, supported by the West, backed the FNLA and later, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The conflict dragged on for years, claiming countless lives.

The independence of Namibia in 1990 was linked to the Angolan Civil War and the negotiations that took place in the late 1980s.

But what happened next?

Even after the Cold War ended and a negotiated deal was reached to end the war that had ravaged the region, the rebellion in Angola persisted. UNITA continued to receive support from regional actors, including Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire). It wasn’t until the death of Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA, in 2002 that the war effectively came to an end.

Today, Angola is one of the more stable countries in the region and has played a significant role in promoting peace in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). In recent years, Luanda (Angola’s capital) has become a hub for negotiations between Kinshasa and Kigali.

Despite the ruling party’s Cold War-era origins, Angola has diversified its strategic partnerships. The country now engages with a variety of global powers, including the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and others.

In its quest to enhance its profile as a credible mediator, Angola has resolved long-standing resource disputes with the DR Congo. Earlier this year, the two nations agreed to jointly exploit a lucrative offshore oil well in disputed waters. Angola is now the second-largest oil producer in Africa, after Nigeria.

What lies ahead?

Despite these significant strides, Angola faces major domestic challenges that it must address. The country needs to close its huge infrastructure gap and invest more in essential services like education and healthcare. A nation aiming to assert regional influence must first put its own house in order.

Additionally, the long-standing separatist movement in Cabinda must be resolved without undermining Luanda’s credibility as a rising diplomatic power.

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.