Nito Alves (1945Fauvet, Paul. "Angola: The Rise and Fall of Nito Alves". ''Review of African Political Economy'', No. 9, Southern Africa. (May – Aug., 1977), pp. 88–104.–1977) was an

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

n politician who served as the

interior minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

of Angola from independence, on November 11, 1975, until President

Agostinho Neto António Agostinho da Silva Neto (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979) was an Angolan politician and poet. He served as the first president of Angola from 1975 to 1979, having led the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) i ...

abolished the position in October 1976. A hardline member of the

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

(MPLA), Alves is best known for his failed 1977 coup attempt against Neto.Georges A. Fauriol and Eva Loser. ''Cuba: The International Dimension'', 1990. Page 164. Alves supported fractionism, opposing Neto's foreign policy of nonalignment,

evolutionary socialism Eduard Bernstein (; 6 January 1850 – 18 December 1932) was a German social democratic Marxist theorist and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Bernstein had held close association to Karl Marx and Friedric ...

, and multiracialism. Alves favored stronger relations with the

Soviet Union 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 nationa ...

, which he wanted to grant military bases in Angola. He represented the MPLA at the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in February 1976. On May 21, 1977, the MPLA expelled him from the party. He and his supporters broke into a prison, freeing other supporters, and took control of the radio station in

Luanda Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seapo ...

in an attempted coup. Forces loyal to Neto took back the radio and arrested those involved in the coup attempt. While

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

n soldiers actively helped Neto put down the coup, Alves claimed that the Soviet Union supported the coup. British mercenaries in prison in Luanda refused to become involved. Alves's power base was centered on Malanje. After the failed coup the MPLA undertook a purge designed to eliminate factionalism and killed thousands, including Alves.Domínguez, Jorge I. ''To Make a World Safe for Revolution: Cuba's Foreign Policy'', 1989. Page 158.

References

External links

Alves biography at 27maio.com
1945 births 1977 deaths Interior ministers of Angola MPLA politicians {{Angola-politician-stub