Cuito Cuanavale

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Cuito Cuanavale
Municipality
Cuito Cuanavale-i varoshaza.jpg
Town hall
Angola location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Cuito Cuanavale
Location in Angola
Coordinates: 15°10′S19°10′E / 15.167°S 19.167°E / -15.167; 19.167
CountryFlag of Angola.svg  Angola
Province Cuando Cubango
Area
 • Total35,610 km2 (13,750 sq mi)
Population
 (2014) [1]
 • Total40,829
 • Density1.8/km2 (5/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (WAT)
Climate Cwa

Cuito Cuanavale, occasionally spelt Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale, is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola.

Contents

The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the Angolan Civil War and the South African Border War, with the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale from 1987 to 1988 being the largest land battle in Africa since World War II.

History

It was in this municipality that some of the bloodiest clashes of the Angolan Civil War took place. On the one hand, the FAPLA, the armed forces of the MPLA, at the height of power fought, supported by the Cuban army, and on the other, the FALA, armed forces of UNITA, supported by the South African Army. Thousands of combatants died on both sides. At the end of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, both UNITA and the MPLA declared themselves victorious. The biggest consequence of this conflict was the withdrawal of Cuban and South African forces from Angolan territory, and the consequent independence of Namibia.[ citation needed ]

Geography and demographics

The town is situated at the confluence of two local rivers, the Cuito and the Cuanavale, from which it derives its name. [2] The Cuanavale feeds into the Cuito, which is a principal tributary of the Okavango River, and helps to maintain the ecology of the Okavango Delta. [3] [4]

Cuito Cuanavale covers an area of around 35,000 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi) and its population as of 2014 was 40,829 inhabitants. Its projected population for 2022 was estimated to be 51,797. [5]

It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Luchazes, to the east by the municipality of Mavinga, to the south by the municipality of Nancova, and to the west by the municipalities of Menongue and Chitembo.

Description

Cuito Cuanavale is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola. [6] [7] It is sometimes spelt Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale, although these are mutations of the original Portuguese name.[ citation needed ]

The town is served by Cuito Cuanavale Airport.

The city day is celebrated on October 21, with an annual celebration being organized for the occasion.[ citation needed ]

Minefields

Dangerous minefields are a legacy of the 1980s war in Cuito Cuanavale; it is the most-mined town in Angola. Among many others in the area, where tens of thousands of mines were laid, is one designated by the HALO Trust as HKK029 – "one of the largest and most complicated minefields in the world", with an overall length of 18 to 20 km (11 to 12 mi). They were laid by South African forces and UNITA as they withdrew and retreated after the battle. The local people have paid a price in injuries and the mines have negatively impacted the local economy. [8] [9]

See also

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Operation Hooper was a military operation in 1987-88 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War. This operation forms part of what has come to be called the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Cubans' objective was securing the town of Cuito Cuanavale on the west of the river from capture. The SADF objective was to drive the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) west across the river or to destroy them, so as to ensure that FAPLA was no longer a threat to the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in the south-east. The FAPLA advance was permanently halted, UNITA lived to fight on for another 15 years. The SADF never attempted to capture the town. Both sides claimed victory.

Operation Packer was a military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War from March to April 1988. This operation forms part of what became known as the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. Operation Packer was a continuation of Operation Hooper, using fresh troops and equipment. The Cubans' objective was still to secure the town of Cuito Cuanavale to the west of the river from capture. The SADF objective was once again to eliminate the remaining Angolan forces on the east side of the river, so as to ensure that the Angolans were no longer a threat to UNITA in the south-east. Although at the conclusion some Angolan units remained in positions east of the river, the Angolan advance against UNITA was permanently halted, and UNITA lived to fight on. The SADF never attempted to cross the river or to capture the town. Both sides again claimed victory.

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References

  1. ↑ "Resultados Definitivos Recenseamento Geral da População e Habitação – 2014 Província do Cuando Cubango" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estatística, República de Angola. Retrieved 3 May 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Perfil do Município do Cuito Cuanavale" (PDF) (in Portuguese). ANGOP.com. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Mendelsohn, John (9 September 2021). "A River in Trouble". Conservation Namibia. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Goyder, David J.; Barker, Nigel; et al. (27 November 2018). "The Cuito catchment of the Okavango system: a vascular plant checklist for the Angolan headwaters". PhytoKeys (113). Pensoft Publishers: 1–31. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.113.30439 . hdl: 2263/71882 . ISSN   1314-2003. PMC   6279898 . PMID   30524187.
  5. ↑ "Cuito Cuanavale (Municipality, Angola)". Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "City councils of Angola". Statoids. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "Reference Center: Provinces". Angolan Embassy in the United States. Archived from the original on 11 February 2006.
  8. ↑ "35 years on from the battle of Cuito Cuanavale". ReliefWeb. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Thirty years on, the landmines of Cuito Cuanavale still kill and maim". ReliefWeb. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
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