55 Day War
| 55 Day War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Angolan Civil War | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 MPLA |
 UNITA | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
João de Matos Higino Carneiro |
Jonas Savimbi Demosthenes Amos Chilingutila | ||||||
The 55 Day War (Portuguese: Guerra dos 55 Dias) occurred in Angola, following the 1992 elections, when the city of Huambo was disrupted by a confrontation between the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The war lasted 55 days, beginning on 9 January 1993.[1][2]
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.[3]
After 55 days of urban warfare, UNITA held the city.[1] The MPLA retired to Benguela.[4]
During the conflict, the MPLA lost 40 tanks and most of its artillery and small arms were captured.[3] UNITA claims that MPLA's casualties were 12,000. Other estimates of casualties totaled 12,000 to 15,000 with 5,000 being civilians.[3]
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]
See also
References
- ^ a b Porto, João Gomes; Alden, Chris; Parsons, Imogen (2007). From Soldiers to Citizens: Demilitarization of Conflict and Society. Ashgate. p. 51. ISBN 9780754692287. OCLC 318536876.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "Stories from Huambo", survivors speak about the siege of their city
- ^ a b c Battersby, John (1993). "A Renewal of Civil War Ruins an Angolan City". The Christian Science Monitor (April 16). Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "The Angolan Civil War (1975-2002): A Brief History | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- Bibliography
- Porto, João Gomes; Alden, Chris; Parsons, Imogen (2007). From Soldiers to Citizens: Demilitarization of Conflict and Society. Ashgate. ISBN 9780754692287. OCLC 318536876.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - 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.
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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.