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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Cuito Cuanavale syndrome: revealing SADF vulnerabilities
Author:Ohlson, T.ISNI
Year:1990
Periodical:South African Review - SARS
Issue:5
Pages:181-190
Language:English
Geographic terms:Angola
South Africa
Subjects:military intervention
defence
Abstract:Although South Africa had troops in southern Angola earlier in 1987, heavy SADF (South African Defence Force) involvement began in August/September of that year, when Angolan troops planned to attack the UNITA headquarters in Jamba. South African units rushed to assist UNITA and halted the Angolan advance. A massive SADF/UNITA counterattack was stopped by Angolan/Cuban troops at Cuito Cuanavale. This resulted in a military deadlock around the town, which increasingly turned into a strategic disadvantage for Pretoria. South Africa lost the unchallenged air superiority it previously enjoyed in the region and on the ground the South African control zone in southern Angola shrank considerably. This failure to defeat the Angolan/Cuban forces has highlighted specific vulnerabilities in the SADF military machine. These vulnerabilities have to do with human and personnel factors, and with weapons and equipment. By May 1988, the South African government was forced to the negotiation table. At the heart of the negotiation process was military security for Angola and South Africa. The author discusses the guarantees Pretoria sought in exchange for the independence of Namibia. The final outcome of the peace process in southwestern Africa and the nature of Namibian independence will depend on basic military realities, the relative strength and bargaining position of the parties, and the relative importance and dynamic of the economic and political factors in the wider strategic context. Notes, ref.
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