CUBA AND SOUTHERN AFRICAN LIBERATION: THE UNKNOWN STORY 
By Isaac Saney 

[Published on November 4, 2005 in the British daily newspaper Morning  Star under the title "The Story of how Cuba helped to free Africa." A Shorter  version was, also, published in the November issue of Cuba Si, quarterly magazine of  the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Britain]. ___________________________________________________________ 

 

 Cuba's direct, critical and extensive role in the struggle against the  apartheid regime in South Africa is little known in the West.  November 5th, 2005  marks the 30th anniversary of Cuba?s decision to  deploy combat-troops, at  the request of the Angolan government, to repulse a major South African  invasion of October 1975. In 1987-1988, a decisive battle occurred in the  south-eastern Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale.  When it occurred, the battle was the  largest military engagement in Africa since the North African battles of the  Second World War. Arrayed on one side were the armed forces of Cuba, Angola  and the South West African People?s Organization (SWAPO); on the other, the  South African Defense Forces, military units of the Union for the Total  National Independence of Angola (the South African-supported organization) and  the South African Territorial Forces of Pretoria-controlled Namibia. 

 The Battle of Cuito Cuanvale is marginalized in Western ?mainstream? scholarship, frequently ignored, almost as if it had never occurred.  However, the overarching significance of the battle cannot be erased; it was the  turning point in the struggle against apartheid. In Black Africa ? particularly  in southern Africa ? the battle has attained legendary status. It is  considered THE debacle of apartheid: a rout of the South African armed forces that  altered the balance of power in the region and heralded the demise of racist  rule in South Africa.  Thus, the battle is often referred to as the African  Stalingrad of apartheid: the decisive event that defeated Pretoria's objective of establishing regional hegemony - a strategy which was vital to  defending and preserving apartheid - and directly led to the independence of Namibia  and accelerated the dismantling of apartheid. Cuba's contribution was  crucial as it provided the essential reinforcements, material and planning. 

 

 Cuba?s involvement in Angola began in the 1960s when relations were established with the Movement for the Popular Liberation of Angola  (MPLA). The MPLA was the principal organization in the struggle to liberate Angola  from Portuguese colonialism. In 1975, the Portuguese withdrew from Angola.  However, in order to stop the MPLA from coming to power, the U.S. government had  already been funding various groups, in particular the Union for the Total  Independence of Angola (UNITA) led by the notorious Jonas Savimbi. 

 

 In August 1975, South African Defence Forces (SADF), with the support  of Washington, invaded Angola. This was followed by a much larger invasion  in October.  On November 5th, in response to a request from the Angolan government, the Cuban government initiated the deployment of combat  troops in Operation Carlota, named after the leader of a revolt against slavery  that took place in Cuba on November 5, 1843. It must be emphasized that all  military service in Angola was on a voluntary basis. Cuban military assistance  was decisive in not only stopping the South African drive to Luanda, the  capital, but pushing out of Angola.  The defeat of the South African forces was  a major development in the African anti-colonial struggle. The significance was underscored by the World, the foremost Black South African newspaper,  which declared: ?Black Africa is riding the crest of a wave generated by the  Cuban success in Angola. Black Africa is tasting the heady wine of the  possibility of realizing the dream of ?total liberation.?? 

 

 Cuban involvement in Southern Africa was repeatedly dismissed as  surrogate activity for the Soviet Union. In an acclaimed and award-winning book, Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington and Africa, 1959-76, Piero  Gliejeses unequivocally demonstrates that: 1) the Cuban government?as it had  repeatedly asserted?decided to dispatch combat troops to Angola only after the  Angolan government had requested Cuba?s military assistance to repel the South Africans,  refuting Washington?s assertion that South African forces intervened in Angola only after the arrival of the Cuban forces and 2)  the Soviet Union had no role in Cuba?s decision and were not even informed  prior to deployment. In short, Cuba was not the puppet of the USSR.  Even the  The Economist magazine, in a 2002 article, acknowledges that the Cuban  government acted on its ?own initiative.? 

 In 1987, the FAPLA, the Angolan armed forces, launched an offensive  against UNITA. The Cubans had advised against this operation because it would  create the opportunity for a significant South African invasion, which is what transpired.  The South Africans invaded, stopped and threw back the  Angolan forces. The fighting became centred on the town and strategic military  base of Cuito Cuanavale, which was important as a forward airbase to patrol and  defend southern Angola.   Pretoria committed its best troops and most  sophisticated military hardware to its capture. 

 As the situation for the besieged Angolan troops became critical,  Havana was asked by the Angolan government to intervene. On November 15th, 1987  Cuba decided to reinforce its forces by sending fresh detachments, arms and equipment, including tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons and  aircraft. Eventually  Cuban  troop strength would  rise to  more  than  50, 000, with 40,000 deployed in  the  south where the  major   engagements were occurring. Cuba was also able to achieve air  supremacy, which was a critical factor in repelling the South Africans.   It must be emphasized that for a small  country such as Cuba the deployment of 50,000 troops would be the equivalent of  the U.S. deploying 1.25 million soldiers. 

 

 The Cuban government viewed preventing the fall of Cuito Cuanvale as  imperative. A South African victory would have meant not only the capture of the  town and the destruction of the best Angolan military formations, but, quite  probably, the end of Angola?s existence as an independent country. At Cuito  Cuanavale, the SADF were dealt a decisive defeat.   As the South Africans  withdrew, the Cubans, together with Angolan and SWAPO forces, advanced toward the  Namibian border.  This advance exposed the insecurity and vulnerability of the  South African troops in northern Namibia.  This was further compounded by  another South African debacle, when on June 27th 1988 at the south western  Angolan town of Tchipa a major South African offensive was resoundingly routed when  the SADF was encircled. This defeat was described in South Africa as ?a crushing humiliation 

 This defeat on the ground forced South Africa to the negotiating table, resulting in Namibian independence and dramatically hastening the end  of apartheid. In a July 1991 speech delivered in Havana, Nelson Mandela underscored Cuba?s vital role: 

 

 The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of  Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African  independence, freedom and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless  character? We in Africa are used to being victims of countries wanting to carve up  our territory or subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African  history to have another people rise to the defense of one of us? The defeat of the apartheid army was an inspiration to the struggling people in South  Africa! Without the defeat of Cuito Cuanavale our organizations would not have  been unbanned! The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it  possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history  of the struggle for southern African liberation! 

 

 Cuba's role in Angola illustrates the division between those who fight  for the cause of freedom, liberation and justice, to repel invaders and  colonialists, and those who fight against just causes, those who wage war to occupy,  colonize and oppress.