National Liberation Front of Angola

Training of F.N.L.A. soldiers in a camp in Zaire in 1973
National Liberation Front of Angola
Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola
President Ngola Kabangu
Founded 1954 (as the União dos Povos do Norte de Angola guerrilla movement), 1959 (as the União dos Povos de Angola guerrilla movement), 1961 (as the FNLA guerilla movement), 1992 (as a party)
Headquarters Luanda, Republic of Angola
Ideology Civic nationalism[1][1]
Christian democracy[1]
Conservatism[2]
Political position Centre-right
Seats in the National Assembly
2 / 220
Party flag
Website
http://www.fnla.net/
Angola
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The National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Portuguese: Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola, FNLA) was a militant organization that fought for Angolan independence from Portugal in the war of independence, under the leadership of Holden Roberto.

Founded in 1954 as the União dos Povos do Norte de Angola guerrilla movement, it was known after 1959 as the União dos Povos de Angola (UPA) guerrilla movement, and from 1961 as the FNLA guerilla movement.

Ahead of the first multiparty elections in 1992, FNLA was reorganized as a political party. FNLA received 2.4% of the votes and had five Members of Parliament elected. In the 2008 parliamentary election, the FNLA received 1.11% of the vote, winning three out of 220 seats.[3]

Foreign support

Over the course of many years, the governments of Algeria, Tunisia, West Germany, Ghana, Israel, France, Romania, the People's Republic of China, South Africa, the United States, Zaire, Liberia[4] actively supported and aided the FNLA.

The French government supplied men and loaned 1 million pounds sterling without interest.[5][6] The U.S. government began aiding the FNLA in 1961 during the Kennedy administration, and rerouted one-third of official aid to Zaire to go to the FNLA and UNITA.[5][7]

The Israeli government gave aid to the FNLA between 1963 and 1969. Holden Roberto visited Israel during the 1960s, and FNLA members were sent to Israel for training. During the 1970s the Israeli government shipped arms to the FNLA through Zaire.[8]

The People's Republic of China began supplying the FNLA with arms in 1964. It gave the FNLA military equipment and at least 112 military advisers.[9] The Romanian government delivered arms to the FNLA in August 1974.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Projet de Societé, official FNLA website (French and Portuguese)
  2. ↑ Consulado Geral de Angola
  3. ↑ National Electoral Commission website (Portuguese).
  4. ↑ Liberia and Independent Africa, 1940s To 2012: A Brief Political Profile, 2013. p. 7.
  5. 1 2 AlʻAmin Mazrui, Ali (1977). The Warrior Tradition in Modern Africa. pp. 226–228.
  6. ↑ Walker, John Frederick (2004). A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola. p. 143.
  7. ↑ Wright, George (1997). The Destruction of a Nation: United States Policy Towards Angola Since 1945. p. 9.
  8. ↑ Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1988). The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms and Why. p. 65.
  9. ↑ B. MacDonald, Scott (1993). European Destiny, Atlantic Transformations: Portuguese Foreign Policy Under the Second Republic: 1974–1992. p. 56.
  10. ↑ Wright (1997). The Destruction of a Nation. p. 57.

Further reading

External links

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