Jonas Savimbi: The Notorious Angolan Rebel Leader of Unita | African Biographics
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- On February 22 2002, Soldiers of the Angolan Armed Forces, assisted by Israeli surveillance experts caught up with Jonas Savimbi and killed him in the province of Moxico in central eastern Angola. Savimbi’s death marked the end of the 27 year long Angolan Civil War in which at least half a million people died in the conflict for the vast, diamond and oil-rich Southern African nation.
Jonas Savimbi, who has been described as one of the most charismatic rebels on the continent, had spent more than 35 years in the bush battling first for Angolan independence and then later for personal power. Some senior officials in Ronald Regan’s administration he was touted as being “one of the most talented charismatic of leaders in modern African history.”
However some people saw him as a stooge of capitalism and a plaything of the racist apartheid government. In this episode of African Biographics, we look at the life story of Jonas Savimbi, the Angolan rebel leader of UNITA.
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TIMESTAMPS:
INTRO: 0:00
EARLY LIFE: 01:09
JOINS POLITICS: 03:42
FORMS UNITA: 05:47
ANGOLAN INDEPENDENCE: 07:36
ANGOLAN CIVIL WAR: 08:50
CIVIL WAR HEIGHTENS: 11:50
RELATIONSHIP WITH USA: 12:42
WAR CALMS DOWN: 14:05
FIGHTING RESUMES: 15:44
DEATH AND LEGACY: 18:07
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Sources:
africasacountry.com/2018/10/h...
www.britannica.com/biography/...
www.blackpast.org/global-afri...
www.nytimes.com/2002/02/23/wo...
www.encyclopedia.com/people/h...
www.nytimes.com/2002/02/23/wo...
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theg...
reliefweb.int/report/angola/b...
www.blackpast.org/global-afri...
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Music:
Heartbreaking Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Desert City by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
John Stockton Slow Drag by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: chriszabriskie.com/uvp/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/
Feel free to reach out to us at africanbiographics@gmail.com
#JonasSavimbi #Angola
Take a shot everytime I mispronounce "Moxico" :-( . To my Angolan friends, I will do better next time. I promise :-) .
Thank you for your great videos! History not many actually hear of. "African Studies" in Universities is usually nothing but anti-white drivel, rather than anything really academic such as you produce.
He was NOT a rebel, he was portreited as one by those who are in powe now
Strange how others, also in fatigues, also fighting for liberation are heralded as heroes. But Savimbi was called a rebel. So not fair. He was a good man. Had he had Angola. It wouldn't be so poor today. In our history classes on high school. We were taught Savimbi was a horrible man. Then I told my history teacher: you call him a horrible man because your new masters there in Moscow told you Communist teachers to tell us that. Savimbi fought Portuguese colonisation and he fought Russian ideological influence. He is a hero!
I was effectively detained for that statement....I was only 17 years old at the time.
@@gira8255 great point. How can one be a rebel when he fought for independence and then cheated and sidelined? He fought and died for a noble cause and has passed the baton to the new Angolan generation.all and all history will certainly be generous to his legacy.
@@geoffwalters3662 "African Studies" in Universities is usually nothing but anti-white drivel...what do you mean by "anti-white drivel?
I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t know about Savimbi until I saw him in Call of Duty game. I was shocked to learn he was real. That’s what started my descent into the black hole that is modern African history.
That's interesting keep on researching what an interesting way to learn a culture
On the call of Duty my friend lol 😂 he is a real rebel man . I love that part . I feel like going to play the game again lol 😂
@@juniornam1186 I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic, but I clearly point out that it’s what piqued my interest. but biographies and channels like this are where I did more research. It’s not like I went to the call of duty wiki to find out more 🙄
Which Call of Duty game
@@matthewbrooks254 black ops 2
Many people here do not seem to understand the word “rebel”, people seem to think calling him a rebel implies judgment of his cause, which it does not. A “rebel” simply means you are taking up arms against an established government, which is what Savimbi did. Rebels can be heroes or villains.
Was he a hero or a villain?
@@kgaugelomojela4288 I didn't like his methods, nor do I like that he kept Angola in war.
And Savimbi was a villain.
I think people realize this.
@@joanofarc33 I'm sure most people do, but there are people in this comment section who don't realize this, and it annoys me (prompting me to make my comment)
Our journey to victory has begun
DEATH TO THE MPLA
-Jonas Savimbi
I had the honor of fighting with Savimbi,supporting unita in Angola in the 80,s. He was a real leader, always in front with the soldiers. Sulute and respect Dr Savimbi.
Thank you for your help against fighting communist
He was smart and spoke seven languages, I remember him when I was growing up, the most I knew was he was anti communist. That place was a hell hole, I hope the area is improved
Pissing on Savimbi's grave. 😂
Why@@SenoritoGhost
@timkincade9763 he was a an imperialist pawn and a tool who shook hands with the Portuguese the oppressors of the Angolan people he was a traitor regardless of the political ideology
I had the honor of flying Savimbi from Lusaka Zambia to Villa Luso Angola after a meeting with Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. One of the most charming gentleman I ever met. Invited us all to lunch but alas we had to return to Lusaka. Missed opportunity.
That and many other charming attributes...... It's a political narcissistic mind ...
Would like to hear more! Which year was that? I am Zambian and I really revere our first President Dr.Kenneth Kaunda and I strongly believe a lot of informative and educative material has not been published or spoken to explain the intricacies of the liberation struggles and civil wars of Southern Africa! When that is done and cemented into a syllabus for "Modern history of Southern Africa", we shall rekindle the spirit of Pan-Africanism which will enhance regional and continental integration!!
I believe he was against the white mans rule
OUR JOURNEY TO VICTORY HAS BEGUN
I love hearing modern African history from an African! Please look into some of the lesser known/documented East African figures
Sure, any suggestions?
@@AfricanBiographics king Sobhuza II of Swaziland.... he was no gun-carrier though but still a great African leader
@@AfricanBiographics i want a video about King Gbudue, who was a Sudanese current day South Sudan. He fought very many battles such as against the British, Arabs (During slave trade in Sudan), Belgium among others. I look forward for that
@@AfricanBiographics nope, I was hoping you would have some in mind 😅
I partially grew up during the reign of Moi (24yr reign from 1978-2002) in the 90s. He died recently and of course the nation mourned
His predecessor Kenyatta was no good!
But I’d like to know more about our neighbors uganda, tanzania…
I’d also like to see a video on Kagame. I hate hearing how the West tries to paint him in a negative light
@@ShottaKenya If you are a Kenyan, the histories of Kenyatta and Moi are very well documented The only people who would need a video are non-kenyans.
He even had that customary "African founding father" black leather jacket in the 60s. Great video.
YOOOOO!!!! 😂😂😂 I saw that picture/slide at 3:47 and had to do a double take. He looks just like Kenyatta there. Especially with that staff in hand and the picture being black&white. Awesome comment bro, I’ll now be on the lookout for that jacket all across the continent 😅
Hahaha, that's funny 😃
@@ShottaKenya me too bro, I saw him and immediately thought it was Jomo Kenyatta 😅
Savimbi the day he died war stopped. Shows how much influence people have.
Yep the loss of the leader often is fatal to many rebellions
yes the war stopped and it was the start of our misery in Angola. Everything got worse and the little democracy that he was able to acomplish for us, was reversed to almost zero. Nowadays, Angola is a democratic country in theory only. In practice, you can almost compare it to North Korea!
@@valmir144 go back to the bush and start a rebellion maybe your life will be better in the jungle .
@@valmir144 tbh, thats still better than an endless civil war.
@@gregrenox9644 I doubt you live in Angola, to say something like that!
Jonas Savimbi was not "notorious" or evil or any of the rubbish spoken about him today. I had the pleasure of being part of the crew that flew him to a few places in Angola in the campaign leading to the UN supervised yet extremely corrupt elections in the early 90s. Savimbi was one of those truly great people who made you feel you were the great person! On landing in Huambo, his hometown and first time in about 20 years he was back there and with a huge crowd waiting for him, he took the time to come to thd cockpit and personally thank the crew. The world could use more men of his stature.
The point to clarify is that Jonas Savimbi
did cause a lot of trouble to a lot of oil
super-magnates, among them Standard Oil,
when he revealed that the red curibbean barbudos, instead of being international revolutionaries in bright shining red armor,
coming to help their African ideological
brothers against the villain racist SA, were
just vulgar mercenaries of the American imperialist capitalists, sent to Angola to
guard the Cabinda oil fields.
& not to protect the glorious mpla revolucion.
The racist SA is in the south of Angola,
while Cabinda is an exclave beyond the
north of Angola.
In 1987, he threatened to attack Cabinda
which financed the mpla regime.
He signed his own death warrant.
The capitalist imperialists switched their
support to the corrupt mpla's Dos Santos.
& executed Savimbi.
& remember the corrupt red barbudos bros,
who did drug trafficking in Angola.
& then executed their own general Arnaldo Ochoa Sanchez, commander of the expeditionary force
in Angola allegedly for drug trafficking, to cover
their own military defeat.
What about the notorious things done by his rebels than ..even in the northern Namibian borders ..
I couldn't agree more with your statment
@@petrusjuuso5478 I'm talking about Savimbi. I met the man myself. I'm not talking about any anti Savimbi propoganda.
@@Jay-Leigh863 He was nice to me, therefore all his crimes are propaganda. Nice.
I loved Savimbi from childhood he inspired me to join the army. I remember between 1989 and 1993 thousands of MPLA soldiers running away from the war being transported from Zambezi to Lusaka and flying back to Angola. That time MPLA almost lost the way
People have different unique reasons as to what makes them love things and people, I personally loved Janas Malhero Savimbi, since I was in primary hearing his name being mentioned on the radio news by KBC would mean to stop whatever was doing to listen to what's being said about him.
Though he was a rebel leader I found joy listening and reading stories about him that once created a nick name Jonas wa Savimbi (Jonas of Savimbi) I would literally whip my enemies on my head with ideas as to how he whipped the MPLA. Life is truelly a book I belive he did what he believed was best for his life, we have to respect his ways of life and also pray that nothing like the Civil war ever happens to any county.
"Death to the MPLA!" Savimbi in Call of Duty: Black Ops
He's a terrorist. ponto.
Savambi was not a smart man he want to give back Angola to the European colonial master in return he become president
You are not smart just luke savambi, Portugal a small European country controlling you guys luke a puppet.
I followed the Angola story from 1965 when as a primary school boy and reading the African Challenge Magazine. Jonas Savimbi appears to have started a libration cause but with hidden motive which was to become a president by any means and started the double standard game for support. My sympathy to the amputees. In 1989-1990 whilst in Rundu in Namibia and particular along the Okavango Delta, I observed through my telescope scars of war in Southern Angola. The waste of human capital was my pain. As veteran peacekeeper, I want to say this that "No weapon wins war, it only protects war lords but it is the tongue which silences the weapons of war". Africa Stop the unnecessary destruction of Human Capital in the name of so call civil wars. Let's channel those energies into economic growth.
Wisdom in a nutshell.
It's easy to say , but hundreds of years of genocide n brainwsshing cannot be washed away so easily, especially as it's still being implimented in our lives on a daily bases via the TELLIEVISION by the
Very same people who were and are responsible for all the mess we presently are living in. . Aint it the TRUTH ????
@Red Pill Passport Bro NO I am not.I am a half chinese born Jamaivan who is in his 70's We here in JAMAICA have always had an inyrest in AFRICA ever since I can remember. Our population is made up of 90 % of AFRICAN descent and 10 % of practically all the other races on this EARTH. CHECKOUT our people , our truth ( men n sheeple say HISTORY) , and our CULTURE.
@Red Pill Passport Bro most Angolans don't know the full history. I didn't know for a long time. Most Angolans live below the poverty line and believe they're poor because of the government they have now. They don't get that they're poor because their wealth was destroyed.
Angola is changing now and trying to teach my generation , I call them Angola's gen Z, that war sucks and if you want to fight do it protesting and use your words with respect. It's a lot harder than it sounds.
our journey to victory has begun
long awaited and well overdue...kota tipo estava certo
Hello from South Africa! Thanks for all you do!
You are welcome 😃
Charisma infused with being misunderstood/hated ...
Having a noble cause being not mutually exclusive with bad intentions ...
this is what I always depict when it comes to proclaimed great African leaders in history thus far
Please try to re-write again ! what you wrote isn't understandable , not in good English
@@beautifulmind6156 lol out of 9 people who liked my comment ; you choose to be an As$ over a language that is clearly not your mother tongue 😂... anyways I’m responsible for what I write not for your poor comprehension skill ...
For good or bad , Savimbi was a true charismatic leader.
I wish you'd included the personal relationships with his leadership team, but I guess we know the basics so want more while others are just finding out that he's not a fictional Call Of Duty character.
A great man, should have been the President of Angola.
what constitute a great Man? No man is great . We are just just people. It is the stupid people who follow them and who perceive them as great. They are nothing without people wo follow them.
I didn't know that this channel existed, full of our rich Aftican history. Thanks CZcams for suggesting this channel for me.
Thanks for this beautiful reporting. Very educative and informative.
You are welcome
He was something, love him hate him there is no denying that he has forever shaped the history and equally the future of angola.
I am surprised to learn that Tom Mboya, the then Kenyan trade unionist, helped inspire Savimbi. Savimbi, and indeed, the Angola Civil war was on the news here in Kenya in 90s. Savimbi is a popular name here.
It pains to have lost such a man who dedicated his life for the normal course. MHSRIEP VIVA JONAS SAVIMBI
@@geoffreymusialike6882 ?? he was angolas mobutu
Savimbi was a man of integrity who stood for his people till death.
For More and accurate information please ask the genuine Angolans to inform you on the reality of the country since Savimbi death 2002
Totally agree with you. Had the opportunity to meet him as a soldier. Great respect for him as a leader and human.
I agree with you.
I'm proud of you for starting this channel African Biographics!
4:32 Jonas Savimbi accusing someone of being a CIA Agent…haven’t laughed that much since I was in grade school!
Jona was the Man!!! Thank you
Thanks for all these informative videos made by the African point of view. As a non former colonist European, for me it's hard to see through all the zig zags all these countries and people went through, so I appreciate your efforts for trying to bring light on the different movements and perhaps on the motives of the people behind them. May all of us find peace and growth in our lives for the sake of the other's. Cheers and have a good one!
Excellent material, I am just wishing for more!! I am Zambian and I really revere our first President Dr.Kenneth Kaunda and I strongly believe a lot of informative and educative information has not been published or spoken to explain the intricacies of the liberation struggles and civil wars of Southern Africa! When that is done and cemented into a syllabus for "Modern history of Southern Africa", we shall rekindle the spirit of Pan-Africanism which will enhance regional and continental integration!!
Even thought the Documentary missed many important facts, it was Great !
In my younger years as a PLAN guerrilla fighter I fought with UNITA in the Eastern of Cunene province and on the 8th of February 1989 was injured in one of those battles, I was evacuated to Lubango,to our military hospitals Peter Nanyemba" military hispital.My PLAN colleagues soldiered on however and only were withdrawn when they came to prepare for the election in Namibia,we fought together with FAPLA in this operation and on our side PLAN we had lost.six members for the duration of about four months, one member died when we attacked Onanghwe base on the western theater, two more died on the 7th February while two more on the 8th February the day I was injured, the last one died later after I was withdrawn in Cuandocubango province.
Thanks for sharing that..
Can I ask something though..? Was Savimbi a hero or a villain?
How many you killed ?
@@kidanebadeg5538
That's not a fair question... casualties and victims of war will always be there.
@@kgaugelomojela4288 he was a hero
@@iwillbeamillionaire4598 He was NO hero. He was a selfish, power driven thug
This is a learning program which needs for African youth so keep going brother.
💙🇸🇴
I was on operations alongside unita. i also was in Luena, moxico many years after the war. still love the bush.
Thank you for fighting communist ❤
As an Angolan I can say that Savimbi was NOT a rebel and considered to be a hero. Many actually agreed with his politics but his way of doing things wasn't the best but then again no one of that time was doing things right either. Everyone wanted power.
But I don't blame you there's a lot of hidden events when it comes to Angola's history.
The situation made him do things his way Mandela thought he was a sellout then they together and told him why he was using south Africa Africa apartheid regime to supply him with ammunition
Exactly.. Exactamente.
@@jimmypapama6353 and the MPLA were allies with a totalitarian dictator named Castro. And Mandela almost exclusively cared about south africa and supported anyone who opposed south africa, even if said opposition were dictators. So he is not a neutral actor.
I dont think you can say angola had good or bad sides, both were terrible, tribalist conflicts masquerading under ideology for international support.
@@gerritkruger4014 what the hell he totalitarian dictator. Is that like a cold war expression. It means nothing. Nothing is Black and white. NO body uses that anymore. Castro helped Africa to get independence. While the west allied with the colonialists. From your name, I take it you are a Bore. Are you related to Jimmy Kruger? The south African Interior minister who killed Biko?
Thank you for your insight.
This is a very powerful history of Savimbi. I have liked it. May his soul rest in peace
Rest in perfect peace Revolutionary Jonas Savimbi
*R.I.P JONAS SAVIMBI*
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥
🟩🟩🟩🐓🟩🟩🟩
🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥
*LONG LIFE UNITA*
Was any of his children involve in the war,they were in America enjoying themselves Africa should wake up and start to develop themselves free greedy leaders
One man's rebel is another's liberator
Great article but short of many behind scenes. Keep it up. Going to watch evry piece you post 👏👏.
Reburial od Savimbi was an act of reconciliation indeed
Thank you. I love learning African history
Savimbi was a hero from Angola 🇦🇴
You fail to mention the SADF excursion into Angola only stopping a few kilometres from the capital. Also there were East Germans training and fighting with the MPLA.
Waiting for this one 👌❤️
Another excellent video. Keep up the great work!
In 1989 you should have said that the Mpla left the table to attack Unita in 1990 in a attacked called the last assault which Savimbi had to come back from his European trip to defeat the Mpla this is what led Angola to democracy and in 1992 Mpla did the same,
I remember seeing his pic in the newspaper about his death when I was still very young, he just looked like a bloodthirsty character. It seems after independence always came the true character of our "Freedom Fighters"
Great content, to know where we are headed as Africans we need to look back into our past...
This comment will prolly never get seen, but thanks so much for giving so much history on a continent that is widely overlooked by people in Europe. Im British, but I work with a multitude of African peoples, and I love learning about their countries and their culture.
Thank you for the informative presentation.
He was a good soldier !!
“DEATH TO THE MPLA” Jonas Savimbi
I always enjoy , not always hit like ALL your videos .
Great job .
That is a great summary of the Angolan saga of war and destruction of life and properties in South West Africa for freedom. Thanks for a good job. Good blessed and stay safe and remain blessed.
Yet another great video!
The problem with e west they want to impose leaders whom they want lyke Mugabe in zim given power by Margret thatcher
Savimbi was a hard nut to crack.He was taken down by a combined Israeli, clandestine Zimbabwean commandos and Angolan Armed forces. The Cubans also played a role in this conflict.
Unita rebels where so advanced. They were the equivalent of the Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebels. If you know you know
The Tamils were something else .They had gotten a good deal but they became greedy .
Excellent review. Well done.
Thanks!
Jonas Savimbi was a good man,,, he'll always be missed 🤝🏻
Savimbi was a real man ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿
who raped women, burned babies and assassinated his top men for fear of being replaced. Yea, a heck of a real man.
Very informative,thank you
thanks so much.. u have put light into my thoughts abt him...
this man was powerful
Big names in Africa supported savimbi .he was an indigenous African while Neto and dos Santos had western roots. President kaunda of Zambia, president kenyatta of Kenya and president mobutu supported him including the Americans and the south African government. He used to come to Zambia a lot
You are confused
He was a bloody sell out and puppet
@@valentineisraelshabangu4069it's you who is confused.
Thank you so much
For real history 😊
Best wishes from London
So educative indeed. Thanks for the documentary 🙏.
I wonder if Angola would be better off today if the Unita was more successful in the civil war.
Bravo! you have killed it my man
Thanks Gideon
Great man!!
This is my first of your videos. I look forward to learning more. From the Sonoran Desert, USA.
Black ops 2 bro call of duty
Excellent series
Well researched and fact checked
Refreshing to hear authoritative commentary from the black African perspective rather than anglophone or francophone media, academics and think tank self styled authoritative commentators
Great narration and excellent research.
Keep up the good work 👏
This channel is gold💯
I hope when doing research you played COD for some references 😂
We were told that the soldier boy who shot him never knew he'd shot Savimbi. He was a great man.
I remember hearing about him.,..I wasn't sure of exactly what happened to him. RIP!
Thanks a lots for this information, from SA
Based on current polling it seems UNITA might be able to win the 2022 legislative election
Friends,
I am from.Angola but this history of Angola what this media is saying about Savimbi is not correct.
Yes it's not a true story
They are spreading fake news about one of the greatest leader we ever had in Angola.
Today we are under a dictatorship regime for more than 45 years😢😢
Okay fellow Angolans. Prove it, prove that it's fake. The only thing that is true is that it's incomplete, but not fake news. You are welcome to hear stories from people in your own country who lived the war.
So tell us the correct story then, don't just discredit the documentary then disappear
As always, great video. 🇰🇪
Thanks
Thanks for the information
Who else is here from Black Ops 2?
OUR JOURNEY TO VICTORY HAS BEGUN
Thank you for the great information
He is not rebel lider, but hero of people of Angola. He figth for our freedom.
Through Savimbi Angola was on the news everyday in 90s n was one of the fearful leaders in Africa
Great bio, well narrated and supported by images and footage. What a tragic life. Treachery was Savimbi's second nature.
Great video bro was replaying Black ops 2 remember Mason talking to Savimbi and Savimbi being a G told em “DEATH TO THE MLPA”
Great historical information. 👏
Rebels can too become Heroes or villains...He was a hero
Maybe to you he was a hero, to others not so much
As an angola only thing I would say, I got two feelings about this man, respect and deeply I will remember him as father of Angolan nationalism, disputed all the but adds. No one person can do everything for his naciotion, today even those o leballed him as a rebel are pressing him as the only hero, why is that? Only time will tell…
Because he was the real deal, not the likes of Neto or the corrupt Dos Santos, these two are the real cancer of Angola, with a thirst of blood, because he wasn't like them and because he wasn't from the socialism, communism ! And the Countries who help these two 'ussless figures' ( Israel and the then Portuguese socialist Government) should be ashamed of themselves !!
Great documentary
Thank you making this video . We need more awareness of these topics✊🏿. We recently launched a channel about African heritage and culture to spread the word🙆🏿♂.
Stop watching this, brother! We must fight the MPLA!
Man is a legend IRL and BO2
keep it up with good work really enjoyed
I remember Jonas Savimbi name through BBC focus on Africa in early 90 at the time my country Liberia just started a civil war
Savimbi was popular here in kenya back then as well. Those of us who grew up in 90s remember this.
He was not a rebel, he brought democracy in Angola 🇦🇴 and opened our eyes
What Democracy? Of killing people that opposed him in his own party? Of burning babies and women?
Nah, if you call starting a second civil war democracy, you need to open your eyes wider. Not saying the mpla were good, far from it, but Savimbi should have accepted the vice presidency and continue to political action, instead he went back to the Bush and restarted a war that further opened the wounds of an already shattered country
As usual great video 👍
Thank you so much
If Savimbi was anywhere near as charismatic as he was in Black Ops 2. I can see why he was able to keep UNITA going for so long.
Good job my brother.
Thank you Fernando
I was six years and primary school in Tshikapa in DRC when after the independance of Angola, UNITA, FNELA, et IMPELA started the war. It was so sad to see young children walking very long distance from Angola to Tshikapa. And even if I was young I predicted that some of leaders like Savimbi could never access to power. As said.