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The latest truce in Angola has given the country more hope than it's had in a long time. That's because Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the UNITA rebel movement since its inception in the 1960s, died in a battle with government troops in 2002. The loss of one of the civil war's original instigators quickly propelled both sides to the negotiating table, and an agreement was signed just more than a month after Savimbi's death.

Even if peace holds, Angola will not be a desirable tourist destination for some time: Just cleaning up the mess from the war will take years. The infrastructure is in shambles, and land mines pose a terrible threat. What's more, the country is ravaged by disease and malnutrition. In short, it will be a long time before Angola's natural beauty will once again be available for travelers.

Geography

History

The country has known horror for far too many years. Beginning around 1500, the Portuguese began a lucrative slave trade and shipped out millions of Angolans, principally to Brazil. As was true with their other colonies in Africa, the Portuguese took what they could from the land and people while returning as little as possible. In 1975, after nearly 500 years of relentless exploitation—and after fighting off rebels for nearly 10 years—the colonists pulled out, leaving behind a country ill-equipped for independence.

A civil war then broke out, with a number of factions vying for power. Gradually the struggle narrowed to a battle between Jonas Savimbi's UNITA and Jose Eduardo dos Santos' Marxist MPLA forces. Because of the Cold War, Angola also became a surrogate battleground for outside interests, with the U.S. and South Africa backing the rebels while troops from Cuba bolstered the Marxist-backed government. With the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, both sides became less important to their patrons, and the conflict came to an end. By then, though, the minimal infrastructure left by the Portuguese had been destroyed.

Finally in October 1992, a cease-fire was brokered that allowed the country to hold its first multiparty elections. When Savimbi's side lost, he retreated to his home city and started the fighting all over again. After a number of UNITA defeats, a second peace agreement was signed. The truce lasted only a few years, however, and by 1998 the war was once again a full-time operation. Then in a battle in early 2002, government troops killed Savimbi, opening the door to new peace negotiations. With a legacy of three decades of war, including a significant percentage of its population who are amputees or orphans, it may take more than a decade of peace before Angola can finally be put back together again.

Snapshot

Potpourri

Angola's land-mine problem is staggering. A few numbers: There are an estimated 10 million unexploded land mines in the country, one for every inhabitant. Nearly 1% of the population are already amputees. At the present rate, it will take 1,500 years to clear Angola of land mines.

Despite a low literacy rate in the country, listening to poetry is a popular pastime and local authors often read their work (in Portuguese) on the radio. Manuel Rui Monteiro is the country's best-known poet.

The Angolan government instituted a curious crackdown on illegal immigration several years ago. The purges, dubbed Operation Cancer I and Operation Cancer II, expelled several thousand foreigners thought to be responsible for facilitating business deals between the government and the rebels.

Angola's civil war has been profitable for both warring parties. The government largely controls the country's vast oil reserves, and the rebels are in control of many of Angola's diamond mines. The war has drawn the attention away from the fact that oil and diamond revenues are simply disappearing into the pockets of officials.

Historians estimate that more than 3 million Angolan slaves were shipped to the Western Hemisphere.

Sportfishing once flourished off the coast of Angola.