- Byname of:
- National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or
- Portuguese:
- União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola
- Date:
- 1966 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- guerrilla warfare
- communism
- Related People:
- Jonas Savimbi
UNITA
-
What is UNITA?
UNITA is an Angolan political party founded to liberate the nation from Portuguese colonial rule. Jonas Savimbi, who became its leader, organized it in 1966. Initially Maoist, it later opposed leftist ideologies and cooperated with the Portuguese against the Soviet-backed MPLA.
After a coup in Portugal in 1974, the Portuguese ended their colonial involvement in Angola. The MPLA declared the People’s Republic of Angola in 1975, and Cuban-supported Angolan troops launched an offensive against the FNLA and UNITA. UNITA continued to battle the MPLA, receiving support from South Africa and the United States. In April 2002, UNITA and the Angolan government signed an agreement to end hostilities, transforming UNITA into a political party.
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Where is UNITA based?
Initially based in southeastern Angola, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) relied on support from the Ovimbundu people, the country's largest ethnic group. UNITA was formed in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi, who had formerly been associated with the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA).
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, UNITA waged a guerrilla war against the MPLA, the Soviet-supported movement that controlled the central government. By 1992, UNITA held about two-thirds of Angola, including valuable diamond mines. After Savimbi's death in 2002, UNITA reunified and became a political party.
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Who founded UNITA and when was it formed?
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) was founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi and others formerly associated with the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA). Initially, UNITA had a Maoist stance but later adopted an anti-left stance when it began cooperating with Portuguese officials against the Soviet-supported Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). UNITA primarily drew its support from the Ovimbundu and Chokwe ethnic groups in central and southern Angola.
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What role did UNITA play in Angola's history?
The National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) played a significant, although controversial, role in Angola's history. Founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi, it initially aimed to liberate Angola from Portuguese colonial rule. After Portugal's withdrawal in 1975, Angola faced a civil war, with UNITA battling the Soviet-backed MPLA.
Supported by the U.S. and South Africa, UNITA presented itself as an anti-communist movement. Despite a 1991 peace agreement, UNITA resumed fighting after disputing the 1992 election results. The 1994 Lusaka Accord aimed to integrate UNITA into the government, but Savimbi continued the struggle, funded by diamond smuggling.
Savimbi's death in 2002 led to a ceasefire and UNITA's transformation into a political party. It has since participated in elections, gradually increasing its vote share, but the MPLA has remained the dominant party.
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How did UNITA participate in Angola's civil war?
UNITA, initially a Maoist group, was founded in 1966 to liberate Angola from Portuguese colonial rule. After Portugal's withdrawal in 1975, Angola faced a civil war, and UNITA set up a rival government in Huambo. UNITA, with foreign backing, reorganized as a guerrilla force and received military aid from the U.S. starting in 1985. By 1992, UNITA controlled two-thirds of the country, including diamond mines, which helped fund the war. The Lusaka Accord in 1994 sought to integrate UNITA into the government, but fighting continued. After the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002, UNITA officials and the Angolan government signed a cease-fire agreement, ending 27 years of civil war.
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What is UNITA's role in Angolan politics today?
Today, UNITA is a major political party in Angola, despite a history of armed conflict. After the death of its leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002, UNITA transitioned from a guerrilla movement to a political party, reunifying its factions and entering into an agreement with the Angolan government to end hostilities.
In the 2022 elections, UNITA achieved its best result to date, garnering almost 44 percent of the vote. Although the party contested the results, its challenges were ultimately dismissed, and the MPLA maintained its majority. UNITA continues to be a significant political force in Angola, advocating for its constituency and participating in the country's political processes.
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UNITA, Angolan political party that was originally founded to free the nation from Portuguese colonial rule.
UNITA was organized in 1966 by elements formerly associated with the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the Popular Union of Angola, the latter led by Jonas Savimbi, who became the leader of UNITA. Its support lay largely with the Ovimbundu and Chokwe ethnic groups in central and southern Angola. At first the party had a Maoist stance, but it later adopted an anti-left stance when it began cooperating with Portuguese officials against the Soviet-supported Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). A coup in Portugal in 1974 caused the Portuguese to quickly end their colonial involvement in Angola. The MPLA announced the independent People’s Republic of Angola in November 1975, and Cuban-supported Angolan troops began an offensive against the FNLA and UNITA early the next year.
Although the FNLA quickly dropped out of the ensuing struggle, UNITA continued to battle the MPLA and cast itself as an anticommunist guerrilla movement, receiving the support of South Africa and the United States. By 1988, however, South African and Cuban troops had been withdrawn from Angola, and the stage was set to resolve hostilities. The MPLA showed its willingness to negotiate with UNITA by releasing hundreds of UNITA detainees and by accepting UNITA’s demand for a multiparty system. Talks in Lisbon led in May 1991 to an agreement that provided for a cease-fire, demobilization of troops, and democratic elections. Despite the presence of international observers who declared the September 1992 elections to be generally fair, UNITA claimed widespread fraud and continued the armed struggle. Another agreement, the Lusaka Accord, was signed in 1994, but Savimbi fought on, buoyed by the revenue he received from the smuggling of diamonds.
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In September 1998 Savimbi faced opposition from within UNITA when a group calling itself UNITA-Renavado (UNITA-Renewal; UNITA-R) suspended him and became the self-declared leadership of the party. Yet another division occurred soon after, and from that point UNITA was split into three factions, with the government and the Southern African Development Community recognizing UNITA-R as the official representatives of UNITA. Despite professed interest by both the government and Savimbi in resolving the conflict, fighting continued throughout 2001 and into 2002. After Savimbi was killed by government troops in February 2002, a cautious optimism began to prevail. In April 2002 UNITA officials and the Angolan government signed an agreement to end hostilities, bringing to a close 27 years of civil war. Some UNITA troops were absorbed into the Angolan army, but the majority returned to civilian life. The three factions reunified, and UNITA transformed itself into a political party. Isaias Samakuva was elected president of UNITA in June 2003.
UNITA fielded candidates in the September 2008 parliamentary elections (the first since 1992), which the MPLA largely swept; UNITA received only 10 percent of the vote. Although there were reports of fraud and intimidation, the elections were deemed valid by international observers. UNITA initially challenged some of the results but soon accepted the MPLA victory. The party improved its performance in the 2012 elections, winning almost 19 percent of the vote, although it was still far short of what was needed to successfully challenge the MPLA.
In the 2017 elections UNITA was reported to have won about 27 percent of the vote, while the MPLA maintained its majority. However, prior to the final results being announced, UNITA and other opposition groups raised allegations of irregularities and demanded a recount, but the country’s electoral commission rejected their claims. UNITA then took its complaints to the country’s Constitutional Court, where it filed an appeal, but the court rejected the appeal and upheld the election results.
UNITA had its best performance to date in the 2022 elections, winning almost 44 percent of the vote, but the MPLA prevailed with about 51 percent. Although UNITA appealed the results, the party’s challenges were dismissed by both the electoral commission and the Constitutional Court, and the MPLA’s victory was upheld.
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