A doctoral thesis at the College of Education at Al-Qadisiyah University discussing UNITA and its impact on the military and political situation in Angola 1991-2002.


A doctoral thesis entitled “UNITA and its Impact on the Military and Political Conditions in Angola 1991-2002” was discussed in the Department of History/College of Education at Al-Qadisiyah University, specializing in “Modern and Contemporary History.” The thesis was written by researcher Khaizran Qasim Abdul Wahid Al-Sayegh, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Tanash Al-Shuwaili.

The thesis aimed to study the history of Angola after the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. It also aimed to study the Angolan Civil War between UNITA and MPLA during the 1990s. It also examined international support for the continuation of the Angolan Civil War and its transformation into a proxy war.

Conclusions: Angola was an arena for settling international conflicts during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, with each party supporting one side of the conflict. The signing of the Bessis Accords brought an end to the civil war that had pitted the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and UNITA from 1975 to 1991. Angolans hoped that this new agreement would lead the country toward a democratic peace. However, this hope was short-lived due to mutual mistrust and the many flaws inherent in the structure of the peace agreements. They never formed a transitional government, but rather a dual governing body until the elections. The MPLA government remained sovereign until the elections and had to deal with a joint political-military committee, in which it participated with UNITA, Portugal, the United States, and the former Soviet Union. Leadership alternated between the government and UNITA, and decisions were made by consensus. The thesis was approved with a very good grade.

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