Jamba is a town in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, located in the southeastern province of

Cuando Cubango Cuando Cubango (Umbundu: Kwando Kubango Volupale) is a province of Angola and it has an area of 199,049km2 and a population of 534,002 in 2014. Menongue is the capital of the province. The governor of the province is José Martins, who was appoin ...

, just north of the

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

n border along the

Caprivi Strip The Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi, is a geographic salient protruding from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It is surrounded by Botswana to the south and Angola and Zambia to the north. Namibia, Botswana and Zambia meet at a s ...

. The town is best known as the former military headquarters of

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 ...

, a rebel movement supported by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

that fought the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

-aligned and supported government in the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...

, a Cold War conflict.

Etymology

The name Jamba means ''elephant in''

Umbundu Umbundu, or South Mbundu (autonym umb, úmbúndú), one of many Bantu languages, is the most widely-spoken autochthonous language of Angola. Its speakers are known as ''Ovimbundu'' and are an ethnic group constituting a third of Angola's popula ...

, a language spoken in Southern

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

UNITA headquarters

Jamba served as UNITA's headquarters from 1976 until 1992. The headquarters itself was an elaborate military encampment, with

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

capabilities and sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry that protected the headquarters throughout 16 years of war. UNITA also maintained a large military airstrip in Jamba. Author Paul Hare described Jamba as "a spread out, well-organised guerrilla encampment, carefully planned and camouflaged to protect against air attacks". On December 24, 1999, Jamba was captured by the

military of Angola The Angolan Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas Angolanas) or FAA is the military of Angola. The FAA consist of the Angolan Army (), the Angolan Navy () and the National Air Force of Angola (). Reported total manpower in 2021 was about 107,000. ...

Jonas Savimbi

UNITA was led by Jonas Savimbi, a charismatic political and military leader who is generally considered one of the more important figures in the history of Angola. Savimbi forged relations with the U.S. and ultimately became an important proxy for the West during the Cold War. Savimbi's critics allege that his military campaign was hugely costly and destructive to modern Angola and that, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, human rights were violated by Savimbi and UNITA. Similar allegations, however, also were made against the government of Angola during the war.

Jamba under UNITA

Under the U.S. administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Jamba grew as a major center of UNITA rebel activity, with the construction of elaborate air defense capabilities and runways designed for the replenishment of U.S. war supplies, which were shipped to UNITA. Both Zaire and South Africa cooperated with the U.S. in supporting Savimbi and UNITA in their war against the Marxist Angolan government. In 1985, Jamba was the host of the

Democratic International The Democratic International, also known as the Jamboree in Jamba, was a 1985 meeting of anti-Communist rebels held at the headquarters of UNITA in Jamba, Angola.J. Easton, Nina. ''Gang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Crusade'', 2 ...

or "Jamba Jamboree", a meeting of global anti-communist insurgents organized by United States

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, including

Jack Abramoff Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction ...

. At the conference, the participants signed a communiqué declaring "our solidarity with all freedom movements in the world and ... our commitment to cooperate to liberate our nations from the

imperialists" Other participants in the conference included: *Adolfo Calero, Contra (guerrillas), Contra leader. *Pa Kao Her, Laos, Laotian resistance leader. *Lewis Lehrman, American businessman and politician. *Abdurrahim Wardak, Afghanistan, Afghan mujahideen leader. *John P. Wheeler III, Jack Wheeler, American conservative. In later years, Savimbi was visited regularly in Jamba by some of his closest American advisors and advocates, including Michael Johns (policy analyst), Michael Johns, Grover Norquist, and others.

Reagan doctrine

The policy of support for anti-communist resistance movements, which was supported by The Heritage Foundation and other influential conservatives, ultimately came to be known as the Reagan Doctrine and was a central component of the foreign policies of the Reagan and (to a lesser extent) George H. W. Bush administrations.

In popular culture

In ''Call of Duty: Black Ops II'', Jamba was the staging point where Jonas Savimbi starts his counterattack on MPLA forces while being aided by Central Intelligence Agency, CIA agents Hudson and Mason while the agents are searching for a squad gone MIA (Missing In Action).

References

External links

"Savimbi's Elusive Victory in Angola"
, by Michael Johns (policy analyst), Michael Johns, ''Congressional Record'', October 26, 1989 (Heritage Foundation policy analyst Michael Johns article on one of his visits to Jamba).
"My Dinner with Jack,"
by Mark Hemingway, ''The Weekly Standard'', April 3, 2006 (provides some history on the "

" meeting in Jamba, including the involvement of lobbyist

). {{Authority control Populated places in Cuando Cubango Province History of Angola UNITA Cities in Africa