Last of Africa's Cold War Conflicts

Combat History of Angola and Guinea-Bissau

This detailed combat history sheds light on the significant yet overlooked guerilla campaigns in what would become Angola and Guinea-Bissau.

Colonial Background

Portugal was the first European country to colonize Africa. It was also the last to leave, almost five centuries later. During what Lisbon called its "civilizing mission" the Portuguese weathered numerous insurrections, but none as severe as the guerrilla war first launched in Angola in 1961 and two years later in Portuguese Guinea.

International Perspectives

Both the Soviets and the Cubans believed that because the tiny colony of Guinea had no resources, Lisbon would soon capitulate. But the 11-year struggle became the empire's most strenuous attempt to retain colonial power.

Legacy of the Guerrilla Campaigns

Though it was overshadowed by the conflict in Vietnam, the Soviet-led guerrilla campaign in Portuguese Guinea set the scene for the wars that followed in Rhodesia and present-day Namibia.