Description

Angola UNITA Scuba Divers Badge trained by CIA and SADF Recce members

Trained with the CIA and SADF RECCES on SA Navy Course Y6 & Y7 at SAS Donkin for River divers
Material: Steel enamel
Size: approx. 37.7 mm
Reverse: Original 1 pin
Fine and very rare original badge

Bord AA

UNITA (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, or National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) is a political and former armed movement in Angola that played a major role in the country’s history, particularly during its struggle for independence and the subsequent civil war.

Background and Formation:
UNITA was founded in 1966 by Jonas Savimbi, a former member of the MPLA (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola or People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola) who became disillusioned with the MPLA’s Marxist ideology and its leadership. Initially, UNITA’s goal was to achieve Angola’s independence from Portugal and to promote the interests of the Ovimbundu people, the second-largest ethnic group in Angola after the Mbundu.
Angolan War of Independence (1961–1975):

During the war of independence against Portuguese colonial rule, the MPLA, UNITA, and the FNLA (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola, or National Front for the Liberation of Angola) all fought against the Portuguese. However, the three factions had differing ideologies, and even though they all shared the goal of independence, they also clashed with each other.

• UNITA primarily operated in the central and southern parts of Angola, focusing on the Ovimbundu heartland.
• MPLA was backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba, and its leadership was largely from the Mbundu ethnic group.
• FNLA was a smaller faction, supported by the United States and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Independence and Civil War (1975–2002):
After Portugal’s revolution in 1974, which led to the end of its colonial rule in Angola, the country became independent in 1975. However, the independence process was marred by tensions between the major liberation movements, particularly the MPLA and UNITA.
• MPLA declared itself the ruling government, and it quickly aligned itself with socialist and communist powers such as the Soviet Union and Cuba.
• UNITA, led by Savimbi, rejected MPLA’s Marxist governance and formed a resistance, which led to the outbreak of the Angolan Civil War in 1975, shortly after independence.
The civil war was devastating, with UNITA, backed at various times by the United States and apartheid-era South Africa, fighting against the MPLA government, which was supported by Cuba and the Soviet Union. The war was characterized by brutal guerrilla warfare, extensive civilian casualties, and destruction of the country’s infrastructure.

End of the Civil War:
The conflict continued intermittently for almost 30 years, with several ceasefires and peace accords failing to bring lasting peace. The war reached its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s but was finally brought to an end after Jonas Savimbi’s death in 2002.
• In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were attempts at peace, including the Bicesse Accords (1991), but full peace did not come until after Savimbi’s death.
• Savimbi was killed in a confrontation with government forces in February 2002, which paved the way for the final peace agreement and the disbandment of UNITA’s military wing.

Post-Savimbi Era and UNITA’s Role in Angola:
After Savimbi’s death, UNITA transformed from a guerrilla movement to a political party. In the years following the end of the war, the party participated in national elections and took part in Angola’s political life.
• UNITA is now a major opposition party in Angola, but its influence has diminished compared to its role during the civil war.
• Isaias Samakuva, Savimbi’s successor, has led the party since 2003, and UNITA remains one of the key players in Angola’s multi-party political system, though it has never regained the military power it once held.

Legacy:
UNITA’s legacy is controversial. While it was one of the main forces in the fight for Angola’s independence, its prolonged resistance against the MPLA government, especially during the civil war, led to immense suffering for the Angolan people. The civil war caused the deaths of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people and displaced millions more. The scars of this conflict still affect Angola today.
• Jonas Savimbi remains a highly polarizing figure, revered by some for his leadership in the fight against communist influence but reviled by others for his role in the civil war and the atrocities committed by both sides during the conflict.
Today, UNITA continues to advocate for the rights and interests of the Ovimbundu people and other marginalized groups in Angola, and it maintains a strong stance against the ruling MPLA, which has held power since independence. However, the current political environment is more peaceful, and Angola’s focus has shifted toward economic recovery and development after the long period of war.