Holden Roberto
Holden Roberto | |
---|---|
President of the FNLA | |
In office 1954 – 2007 Until 1961 as the Union of Peoples of Angola | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Ngola Kabangu |
President of the Democratic People's Republic of Angola (with Position established | |
Succeeded by | Himself as President of the Democratic People's Republic. |
Personal details | |
Born | 12 January 1923 , Angola) |
Died | 2 August 2007 (aged 84) |
Children | Carlito Roberto, Julietta Roberto, Catarina Roberto, Gracia Roberto, Emmanuel Roberto, Jean-Pierre Roberto, Holden Roberto Jr., Milton Roberto |
Álvaro Holden Roberto (Angolan Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈal.va.ɾu ˈolden ɾoˈbeʁtu]; January 12, 1923 – August 2, 2007) was an Angolan politician who founded and led the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) from 1962 to 1999. His memoirs are unfinished.[1]
Early life
Roberto, son of Garcia Diasiwa Roberto and Joana Lala Nekaka, and a descendant of the Royal Family of the
Political career
Roberto and
The United States National Security Council began giving Roberto aid in the 1950s, paying him $6,000 annually until 1962 when the NSC increased his salary to $10,000 for intelligence-gathering.[7]
National Liberation Front of Angola
After visiting the United Nations, he returned to Kinshasa and organized
Roberto met with
Savimbi left the FNLA in 1964 and founded UNITA in response to Roberto's unwillingness to spread the war outside the traditional Kingdom of Kongo.[7]
On the eve of Angola's independence from Portugal, Zaire, in a bid to install a pro-Kinshasa government and thwart the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola's (MPLA) drive for power, deployed armored car units, paratroops, and three battalions to Angola.[16] However, the FNLA and Zaire's victory was narrowly averted by a massive influx of Cuban forces, who resoundingly defeated them.[17][18]
In 1975, the MPLA defeated the FNLA in the Battle of Quifangondo and the FNLA retreated to Zaire.[1]
While Roberto and Agostinho Neto's proposed policies for an independent Angola were similar, Roberto drew support from western Angola and Neto drew from eastern Angola. Neto, under the banner of nationalism and communism, received support from the Soviet Union while Roberto, under the banner of nationalism and anti-communism, received support from the United States, China, and Zaire. Roberto staunchly opposed Neto's drive to unite the Angolan rebel groups in opposition to Portugal because Roberto believed the FNLA would be absorbed by the MPLA. The FNLA abducted MPLA members, deported them to Kinshasa, and killed them.[4]
In 1991, the FNLA and MPLA agreed to the Bicesse Accords, allowing Roberto to return to Angola. He ran unsuccessfully for president, receiving only 2.1% of the vote. However, the FNLA won five seats in Parliament but refused to participate in the government.[1]
Roberto died on August 2, 2007, at his home in
References
- ^ a b c d e f James, W. Martin (2004). Historical Dictionary of Angola. pp. 141–142.
- ISBN 9780394753089.
- ^ a b Marcum, John (1969). The Angolan Revolution, Vol. I: The Anatomy of an Explosion (1950-1962). Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (Cambridge. p. 65.
- ^ a b c d e Hamann, Hilton (2001). Days of the Generals. p. 13.
- ^ Rensburg, Abraham Paul Janse Van (1075). Contemporary Leaders of Africa. p. 303.
- ^ Current Biography. H.W. Wilson Company. 1991. p. 499.
- ^ a b c Walker, John Frederick (2004). A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola. pp. 146–148.
- ^ a b Tvedten, Inge (1997). Angola: Struggle for Peace and Reconstruction. p. 31.
- ISBN 9780813339474.
- ^ Walker, John Frederick (2004). A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola. p. 143.
- ^ Elbaum, Max (2002). Revolution in the Air: From Malcolm and Martin to Lenin, Mao and Che. p. 217.
- ^ Davis, John Aubrey (1966). Southern Africa in Transition, American Society of African Culture. p. 170.
- ^ Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1988). The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms and Why. p. 64.
- ^ Figueiredo, António de (1961). Portugal and Its Empire: The Truth. p. 130.
- ^ Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges; Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (1986). The Crisis in Zaire. p. 194.
- ISBN 9781586482466.
- ISBN 9780299101138.
- ^ "Involvement in the Angolan Civil War, Zaire: A Country Study". United States Library of Congress.
- ^ "FNLA's Historic Leader Dies". Angola Press. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Holden Roberto Dies at 84; Fought to Free Angola From Portuguese Rule". New York Times. Agence France-Presse. August 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Angolan independence leader Holden Roberto dies". CNN. August 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Angola: Head of State Condoles With Death of FNLA Historic Leader". allAfrica.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
Further reading
- Chris Dempster, Fire Power (first-hand account of foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of the FNLA) [1]