The Revolutionary Government of Angola in Exile ( pt, Govêrno revolucionário de Angola no exílio, or GRAE) was a self-proclaimed

government-in-exile A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile u ...

based in

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

(modern-day

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

) in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

during the

Angolan War of Independence The Angolan War of Independence (; 1961–1974), called in Angola the ("Armed Struggle of National Liberation"), began as an uprising against forced cultivation of cotton, and it became a multi-faction struggle for the control of Portugal ...

. It was led the

National Liberation Front of Angola The National Front for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola; abbreviated FNLA) is a political party and former militant organisation that fought for Angolan independence from Portugal in the war of independenc ...

(''Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola'', FNLA) and its president was

Holden Roberto Álvaro Holden Roberto (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. Early life Roberto, son of Garcia Diasiwa ...

. The GRAE was founded in April 1962 and had its armed forces stationed in the Congo where it also conducted military training.Whitaker, Paul M..
The Revolutions of 'Portuguese' Africa
', in The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1. (Apr., 1970), pp. 15-35. Congolese aid to the GRAE was gradually reduced once

Moïse Tshombe Moïse Kapenda Tshombe (sometimes written Tshombé) (10 November 1919 – 29 June 1969) was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Re ...

became prime minister. In July 1964, the Foreign Minister of GRAE,

Jonas Savimbi Jonas Malheiro Savimbi (; 3 August 1934 – 22 February 2002) was an Angolan revolutionary politician and rebel military leader who founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). UNITA waged a guerrilla war agai ...

, resigned (in 1966 he would form a movement of his own,

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...

). Initially, GRAE forces fought mainly in the northern Dembo forests. However, in early 1969 GRAE opened a second front along the

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

n border.

OAU recognition

When the Organization for African Unity was founded in 1963, GRAE was granted exclusive recognition as the legitimate government of Angola, a move which spurred the Congolese government to expel the

MPLA The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wing, social d ...

forces (a rival liberation movement to FNLA) from its territory. However, in 1964 OAU also recognized MPLA as a legitimate liberation movement, and gradually support was reduced for GRAE. In the period 1971-1972 GRAE received 61,666

pounds sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO 4217, ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of #Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, its associated territori ...

from the OAU, 5.69% of the total amounts donated by the OAU to different African liberation movements at the time. During the same period, OAU gave MPLA 180,334 pounds sterling.Gonidec, Pierre François. ''African Politics''.

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

: Matinus Nijhoff, 1981. p. 272

International linkages

GRAE constituted a bloc of African movements, together with the

Pan-Africanist Congress The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Rober ...

(South Africa),

Revolutionary Committee of Mozambique A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

and

Zimbabwe African National Union The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant organisation that fought against white minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). ZANU split in 1975 into wings loyal to Robert Muga ...

. Through this cooperation, GRAE gave some military assistance to its Mozambican counterpart. In the 1960s, GRAE received a large share of humanitarian aid for Angolan refugees from Western sources. GRAE was supported by

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. GRAE did also receive some assistance from the

Soviet bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

References

{{reflist

External links

FNLA website
National Liberation Front of Angola Former governments in exile Separatism in Angola Separatism in Portugal 1962 establishments in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) 1962 establishments in Angola Angolan War of Independence Angola–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations Democratic Republic of the Congo–Portugal relations

OAU recognition

International linkages

See also

References

External links