Operation Zulu

Operation Zulu was a military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War and the final days of the Angolan War of Independence. The SADF, Portuguese mercenaries, and militants loyal to the Eastern Revolt and UNITA invaded Angola on October 14. The invading forces traveled 500 miles in one day, hoping to capture Luanda and international recognition.cite book|last=Fauriol|first=Georges A.|coauthors=Eva Loser|year=1990|title=Cuba: The International Dimension|pages=195]

Carnation Revolution

Leftist military officers overthrew the Caetano government in Portugal in the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974. The MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA each negotiated peace agreements with the transitional Portuguese government and began to fight each other for control of Luanda and the country. Holden Roberto, Agostinho Neto, and Jonas Savimbi met in Bukavu, Zaire in July and agreed to negotiate with the Portuguese as one political entity. They met again in Mombasa, Kenya on January 5, 1975 and agreed to stop fighting each other, further outlining constitutional negotiations with the Portuguese. They met for a third time in Alvor, Portugal from January 10-15 and signed what became known as the Alvor Agreement.cite book|last=Rothchild|first=Donald S.|year=1997|title=Managing Ethnic Conflict in Africa: Pressures and Incentives for Cooperation|pages=116]

Alvor Agreement

The MPLA, FNLA, UNITA, and the Portuguese government signed the Alvor Agreement on January 15, 1975, granting Angola independence from Portugal on November 11. The agreement ended the war for independence while marking the transition to civil war. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda and Eastern Revolt never signed the accords as they were excluded from negotiations. The coalition government the Alvor Agreement established soon fell as nationalist factions, doubting one another's commitment to the peace process, tried to take control of the colony by force.cite book|last=Tvedten|first=Inge|year=1997|title=Angola: Struggle for Peace and Reconstruction|pages=36] cite book|last=Schneidman|first=Witney Wright|year=2004|title=Engaging Africa: Washington and the Fall of Portugal's Colonial Empire|pages=200]

FNLA invasion

At the same time, unknown to the invading forces, FNLA militants, backed by the People's Republic of China and the United States, marched south into Angola. A coalition of MPLA and Cuban forces defeated the FNLA, just twelve miles from Luanda, at the Battle of Quifangondo, effectively eliminating their presence in the ensuing civil war.

Major powers involved in the conflict reacted quite differently to the invasion. While Cuba and the U.S.S.R. poured troops and weapons into Angola in 1975, the United States cutoff direct support to UNITA through the Clark Amendment and the PRC withdrew its military advisers from Zaire, ending support for the FNLA.cite book|last=Hanhimaki|first=Jussi M.|year=2004|title=The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy|pages=416]

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