Why did Portugal withdraw from Angola without handing power to a single movement?

Portugal withdrew from Angola in November 1975 without transferring power to a single movement primarily because the three major nationalist groups—the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)—were deeply divided and unable to form a united front.12

Following the 1974 military coup in Portugal, which ended the dictatorship and the colonial wars, the Portuguese military was exhausted and unwilling to remain in the territory to impose peace or supervise elections. By the time of the withdrawal, these movements were already engaged in an escalating civil war, each vying for control and backed by different international powers. Because the movements could not agree on a power-sharing arrangement and the Portuguese forces refused to intervene further in the internal conflict, Portugal departed without formally designating a successor government.312