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The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1987/88 was an important episode in the Angolan Civil War (1975 to 2002). Between 9 September and 7 October 1987, the Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), in an attempt to destroy the guerrillas of UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), advanced into southeastern Angola from Cuito Cuanavale to attack UNITA at Mavinga. The South African Defence Force (SADF), whose primary objective was to protect UNITA in southern Angola in order to prevent the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) from using the region to launch attacks into South West Africa, once more intervened on UNITA’s behalf. The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, which took place over about six months, was at that time the biggest battle on African soil since World War II.〔Mills & Williams (2006)〕 The southwards FAPLA/Cuban advance against UNITA was halted with heavy casualties and was abandoned, and the battle then stalemated. Cuba and FAPLA switched their attention westward, the SADF removed the bulk of its resources to counter the new threat, and all sides resumed negotiations.〔 Both sides claimed victory in the battle. ==Background== The Angolan Civil War played out against the backdrop of the Cold War struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both superpowers tried to influence the outcome of the civil war through proxies. For 13 years until 1974, three armed groups fought for Angola's independence from Portugal: the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) (with its armed wing FAPLA), led by Agostinho Neto; the conservative National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), led by Holden Roberto and supported by Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaïre; and UNITA, led by Jonas Savimbi (a former Maoist who broke away from the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), later sponsored by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and South Africa). After the Carnation Revolution of April 1974 in Portugal, the new revolutionary government of Portugal let go of Portugal's African overseas possessions, including Angola. The Treaty of Alvor comprised a series of agreements between the three rebel factions and Portugal that were to pave the way to independence. Under its terms, a transitional government was formed, elections were scheduled for the end of the year, and 11 November 1975 was slated as Angola's independence day. Fighting between the three rebel factions started soon after the transitional government took office on 31 January 1975, with each movement gaining control of their traditional areas of influence by mid-1975: The MPLA in the capital and central Angola, the FNLA in the north and UNITA in the south.〔Jaster (1990), pp. 8–11.〕 The FNLA was effectively eliminated in the 1970s, and the struggle for control continued between the Soviet backed MPLA government and the United States and South African backed UNITA movement. The MPLA government of Angola and SWAPO were supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union and some countries of the Eastern bloc, while UNITA was supported by the West, albeit clandestinely, foremost the United States and South Africa. After the Cubans had helped the MPLA gain power in 1975 they considered it necessary to stay in the country until conditions stabilized in favour of the MPLA. The Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries supplied the Angolan army (FAPLA) with armament, advisors and specialized technical staff. UNITA managed, with South African and US support, to pose a threat to the MPLA government. UNITA received backing from the US, most notably in the form of Stinger missiles that helped repel the air superiority of the FAPLA forces. South Africa provided UNITA with military support in the form of occasional cross-border missions from South West Africa (modern Namibia). Despite the termination of the League of Nations mandate by the UN General Assembly in 1966, which South Africa refused to recognise, South Africa had continued to govern South-West Africa (Namibia). 1966 saw the beginning of the armed resistance by the SWAPO and South African counter insurgency operations. After Angola’s independence in 1975, SWAPO gained the support of the Angolan government and operated against the South African forces from bases in Southern Angola. The South African government's strategic concern was thus to ensure continued UNITA control over regions bordering Namibia, so as to prevent the SWAPO guerrillas from receiving Angolan support and gaining a springboard in southern Angola from which to launch attacks into South West Africa. Its security strategy was shaped by the doctrines of pre-emptive interventionism and counter-revolutionary warfare. Following the South African Operation Protea in August 1981, in which it temporarily occupied 50.000 km² of Cunene province, UNITA took effective administrative control of most of Cunene in January 1982.〔Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1988), Chapter 2, pp. 42–61.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Cuito Cuanavale」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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