Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (National Front for the Liberation of Angola), a political movement in Angola. FNLA was founded in 1957 as União das Populações do Norte de Angola (Union of the Populations of Nothern Angola).
FNLA was one of the three national liberation movements which fought against Portuguese colonial rule in Angola. The other two were:
UNITA was a splinter-group of the FNLA that was formed in March 1966 when Jonas Savimbi left the FNLA to establish his own organization.
After a long battle with Portuguese colonial forces, Angola became independent in 1975. Shortly after, a civil war broke out between the MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. The importance of FNLA declined rapidly as UNITA established itself as the main anti-MPLA opposition movement.
Some mercenaries who fought for FNLA in 1975 and 1976 were captured by the MPLA and tried as mercenaries. On June 28, 1976, an Angolan MPLA court sentenced four mercenaries to death and nine others to prison terms ranging from 16 to 30 years. The three Britons and an American were shot by a firing squad on July 10, 1976.
Ahead of the first multiparty elections in 1992, FNLA was reorganized as a political party. FNLA received 2,4% of the votes and won five MPs. It mainly receives its support from the Northern regions of the country.
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Last updated: 08-30-2005 04:06:32
