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Article: Supplement: Angola - A Nation Awakes - Angola Has Suffered Death, Displacement, Conflict, Poverty And Hyper-inflation Since Gaining Independence In 1974. But Its Brutal 27-year Civil War Ended In 2002 And A Booming Oil Sector Is Helping The Country Transf.
- Article from:
- The Banker
- Article date:
- August 1, 2008
- Author:
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Byline: CHARLIE CORBETT
On February 22, 2002, Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the Angolan rebel faction, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), was ambushed by government forces and shot dead. His death signalled the end of what had been almost 30 years of continuous civil war in Angola since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
It was a war that had cost the lives of almost a million people and displaced many millions more. Such was the disbelief among Angolans at Mr Savimbi's death that many at the time refused to believe it. A charismatic and stubborn opponent of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation ...