Angola marks a decade of peace on 4 April 2012. Until then war had dominated Angolan life. What began as a struggle for independence from Portugal in 1961 morphed post-independence in 1975 into a war among liberation movements for control of the country, and eventually gave way to Cold War logic with the MPLA government backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union, and the UNITA rebels backed by apartheid South Africa and the United States. Only since 2002, following the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi has Angola enjoyed peace. The war left the country at rock-bottom: in 2002 the UNDP Human Development Index had it below the average for sub-Saharan Africa. Ten years on Angola has been transformed. This paper looks at various indicators to assess what results the peace dividend has delivered over the last decade in Angola and the new challenges it faces.
DW Angola
Development Workshop Angola