55 Day War
| 55 Day War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Angolan Civil War | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Supported by: France[1] |
Supported by: Zimbabwe Ghana Guinea[1] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 João de Matos Higino Carneiro |
 Jonas Savimbi Demosthenes Amos Chilingutila | ||||||
The 55-day war was a battle in the city of Huambo between the rebel forces of UNITA led by Arlindo Pena and the MPLA-led Angolan government. The 55-day war lasted between 9 January 1993 and 6 Mach 1993, resulting in UNITA emerging victorious and the destruction of most of the city.
Background
After UNITA’s defeat in the 1992 Angolan general election, UNITA rejected the election outcome and resumed hostilities. After the eruption of Hostilities, UNITA began a new offensive, this offensive targeted a number of provincial capitals including Kuito, Huambo, Malange, Luena, and Menongue, and aimed to force the MPLA into further concessions.[2]
Battle
The Battle began on 9 January 1993 when UNITA launched an assault to take the city with 20,000 soldiers and 8,000-10,000 armed militia. UNTIA was able to take the city before being driven out of most the city the same day, fighting remained in the residential areas of the city, by January 11 100 people had already been killed.[3] UNITA soon launch another attack to take the city leading to heavy fighting.[4] Two member of the United Nations monitoring force was injured in the fighting. UNITA claimed to have destroyed an ammunition depo on 16 January.[5]
On 2 February 1993, Shelling killed 40.[6] By February 11 2,000 people are said to have been killed in fighting in the city.[7] On 13 February, government forces began withdrawing from the city center and UNTIA started to gain the upper hand and held 3/4 of the city including the airfield and barracks.[8] The Angolan government claimed that 1,000 people were killed on 15 February when UNITA shelled a civilian convoy leading out of the city. By 16 February 10,000 people are said to have been killed since the fighting began.[9] By February 18, government forces held only a small part of the city.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b Battersby, John (1993). "A Renewal of Civil War Ruins an Angolan City". The Christian Science Monitor (April 16). Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Angolan Rebels Win Concessions After War Gains". The Christian Science Monitor. 22 April 1993. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Battle rages For Huambo". No. Vol. 3 No. 77. Namibian. 11 January 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ "Unita battles to regain Huambo". No. Vol.3 No. 79. The Namibian. 13 January 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ "UN withdraws from Angolan battle zones". No. Vol. 3 No. 82. The Namibian. 18 January 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ "Angola Prepares for State of Emergency". No. Vol. 3 No. 95. The Namibian. 4 February 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ "Ceasefire hinges on Huambo". No. Vol. 3 No. 100. The Namibian. 11 February 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ "Angolan Rebels Gain In Battle for Major City". New York times. 13 February 1993. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Siege of Huambo Continues; 10,000 Reported Killed". associated press. 16 February 1993. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Parliament seeks to boost army's efforts". No. Vol. 3 No. 105. The Namibian. 18 February 1993.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help)
- Bibliography
- Porto, João Gomes; Alden, Chris; Parsons, Imogen (2007). From Soldiers to Citizens: Demilitarization of Conflict and Society. Ashgate. ISBN 9780754692287. OCLC 318536876.
- Malley-Morrison, Kathleen (2009). State Violence and the Right to Peace: Western Europe and North America. Praeger Security International/ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780275996475. OCLC 319868186.
Further reading
- "The battle for Huambo" 1993, Economist, 326, 7801, pp. 43–45.
- "Fingers crossed" 1994, Economist, 333, 7893, p. 44.
- "The ruins of rebellion" 1994, Economist, 330, 7852, pp. 44–45.