View source for 55 Day War

{{Short description|Conflict of the angolan civil war}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict= 55 Day War
|partof=the [[Angolan Civil War]]
|image=LocationAngola.svg
|image_size  = 300px
|date= 9 January 1993 – 6 March 1993<br />({{Age in years and days|9 January 1993|6 March 1993|sep=and}})
|place=[[Huambo]], [[Angola]]
|result=UNITA victory
|combatant1= {{flagicon image|Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (bandeira).svg}} [[Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola|MPLA]]
|combatant2= {{flagicon image|Flag of UNITA.svg}} [[UNITA]]
| bullets = no
| title = 
|commander1 = {{flagicon image|Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (bandeira).svg}} [[João de Matos]]<br>{{flagicon image|Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (bandeira).svg}} [[Higino Carneiro]]
|commander2= {{flagicon image|Flag of UNITA.svg}} [[Jonas Savimbi]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of UNITA.svg}} [[Demosthenes Amos Chilingutila]]
}}
{{Campaignbox Angolan Civil War}}
The '''55 Day War''' ({{lang-pt|Guerra dos 55 Dias}}) occurred in [[Angola]], following the 1992 elections, when the city of [[Huambo]] was disrupted by a confrontation between the [[MPLA|People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA)]] and [[UNITA|National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)]]. The war lasted 55 days, beginning on 9 January 1993.<ref name="Ashgate">{{Cite book|last1=Porto|first1=João Gomes|last2=Alden|first2=Chris|last3=Parsons|first3=Imogen|title= From Soldiers to Citizens: Demilitarization of Conflict and Society|url=https://archive.org/details/fromsoldierstoci00port|url-access=limited|publisher =Ashgate |date=2007|ISBN =9780754692287 |OCLC= 318536876|page=[https://archive.org/details/fromsoldierstoci00port/page/n67 51]}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRg_WNozM5E "Stories from Huambo", survivors speak about the siege of their city]</ref>

Over those days, the city was destroyed and lay in ruins. Few prisoners were taken. Wounded civilians and soldiers were left in the streets to die.<ref name="Battersby">{{cite journal|last1=Battersby|first1=John|title=A Renewal of Civil War Ruins an Angolan City|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|date=1993|issue=April 16|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1993/0416/16071.html|access-date=18 October 2016}}</ref>

After 55 days of urban warfare, UNITA held the city.<ref name="Ashgate"/> The MPLA retired to [[Benguela]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

During the conflict, the MPLA lost 40 tanks and most of its artillery and small arms were captured.<ref name="Battersby"/> UNITA claims that MPLA's casualties were 12,000. Other estimates of casualties totaled 12,000 to 15,000 with 5,000 being civilians.<ref name="Battersby"/>

As a consequence of this conflict, Huambo lost its hegemony over other Angolan cities, having lost its industrial base, schools, universities and homes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

==See also==
* [[Angolan Civil War]]
* [[1992 Angolan legislative election]]
* [[1992 Angolan presidential election]]

==References ==
{{reflist}}

;Bibliography
*{{Cite book|last1=Porto|first1=João Gomes|last2=Alden|first2=Chris|last3=Parsons|first3=Imogen
|title= From Soldiers to Citizens: Demilitarization of Conflict and Society|publisher =Ashgate |date=2007|ISBN =9780754692287 |OCLC= 	318536876}}
*{{Cite book|last= Malley-Morrison|first=Kathleen
|title=State Violence and the Right to Peace: Western Europe and North America|publisher = Praeger Security International/ABC-CLIO|date=2009|ISBN =9780275996475 |OCLC= 319868186}}

==Further reading ==
*"The battle for Huambo" 1993, ''Economist'', 326, 7801, pp.&nbsp;43–45.
*"Fingers crossed" 1994, ''Economist'', 333, 7893, p.&nbsp;44.
*"The ruins of rebellion" 1994, ''Economist'', 330, 7852, pp.&nbsp;44–45.

[[Category:Angolan Civil War]]
[[Category:Huambo]]
[[Category:1993 in Angola]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1993]]
[[Category:Wars involving Angola]]
[[Category:MPLA]]
[[Category:UNITA]]