May's Mostly Warfare Blog : UNITA Gallery/Brief Information

The National Union for the Total Independence for the Liberation of Angola (UNITA) was a Maoist offshoot of the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) during the Angolan War of Independence against the Portuguese. Other rebel groups in the struggle was the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). After the Portuguese left Angola, the MPLA took power. The other groups grew increasingly jealous of the MPLA's power. Soon the new MPLA regime was challenged by its former allies in UNITA. The other factions in the FNLA and the FLEC are pulled to a very minor part of the "story of the play". In order to win the hearts of its US backers, UNITA changes its ideology from Maoist to Capitalism. With control of Angola's diamond industry and American backing, UNITA grew to be powerful enough to even deploy fighter planes with mercenary pilots. UNITA was able to wield a conventional army against the MPLA and Cuban allies. In 1991, the MPLA government and UNITA had UN backed "peace" elections. The results of the elections infuriated UNITA, thus ironically the elections that were intended to make peace in Angola escalating the war even further. In 1999, UNITA's conventional military was destroyed, so UNITA resorts to the usual Guerrilla warfare tactics. UNITA's leader Jonas Savambi was killed by MPLA government troops, finally ending the 40 year civil war in Angola. UNITA still exists as a political party.

This photo of this UNITA fighters was taken during 1974, just before the Angolan War against the Portuguese ended. During that time they appear to be another guerrilla organization, not the well equipped army during the later 70s to the 90s.