Editing UNITA (section)

==History==

===Founding and Independence Struggle===
UNITA was founded on March 13, 1966, in Muangai, Moxico province, by Jonas Savimbi and Antonio da Costa Fernandes. Savimbi, previously with the [[National Liberation Front of Angola]] (FNLA), broke away to form UNITA, focusing on the Ovimbundu ethnic group, Angola’s largest. Initially influenced by Maoism from Savimbi’s training in China, UNITA launched its first attack against Portuguese colonial forces on December 25, 1966, during the Angolan War of Independence.

===Angolan Civil War===
After Angola’s independence in November 1975, UNITA fought the Soviet- and Cuban-backed MPLA in the Angolan Civil War. Nearly defeated in 1975, UNITA survived with support from South Africa and, later, the United States under the Reagan Doctrine. Controlling rural areas and diamond mines (e.g., Catoca), UNITA became a formidable guerrilla force.

Peace agreements, including theBicesse Accords (1991) and Lusaka Protocol (1994), failed to end hostilities. The war ended in 2002 after Savimbi’s death, with UNITA transitioning into a political party.

===Post-War and Political Role===
Since 2002, UNITA has operated as a political party, becoming Angola’s second-largest by 2022, securing 44% of votes in the 2022 elections.<ref name="wiki" /> It advocates for democratic reforms and remains a key opposition to the MPLA government.