Cuba Supported the Angolan War of Independence

The Angolan War of Independence was a struggle for control of Angola between guerrilla movements and Portuguese colonial authority. Cuba supplied the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) rebels with weapons and soldiers to fight. The Cuban military would fight alongside the MPLA in major battles.

Cuba Prevented South African Apartheid Regime From Taking Over Angola

In October of 1975, South Africa invaded Angola with the support of the U.S. government to overthrow the left-wing Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the soon-to-be independent country.

In 1988, Cuban troops intervened again and also convinced the Soviet Union to back the People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) offensive against UNITA, which was supported by South Africa.

The impact of the victory of Black Cuban and Angolan soldiers resonated far beyond the battlefield and is credited to have lead to the overturning of white minority rule in southern Africa and the later collapse of the Apartheid Regime in South Africa, ultimately shattering of the illusion of white invincibility.