Why did Portuguese authorities create strategic hamlets during the Angolan revolt?

During the Angolan revolt that began in 1961, Portuguese authorities implemented strategic hamlets—which were forced settlements of rural Angolans—as a military measure to contain the uprising.12

Following a major revolt in northern Angola sparked by land alienation and forced labour, the Portuguese government deployed significant military forces to suppress the rebellion. The creation of these strategic hamlets was part of this broader effort to control the rural population and counter the growing guerrilla war.12