Halloween massacre (Angola)

Main article: Angolan Civil War

Ever since its independence from Portugal in 1975, Angola was gripped in a civil war between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).[2] The war was intensified by the direct and indirect involvement of outside superpowers who saw the conflict through the eyes of the Cold War. The MPLA, which claimed allegiance to Marxist-Leninist ideology, received direct support from Cuba with the backing of the Soviet Union and other communist states.[2] Meanwhile, the UNITA sold itself as an anti-communist organization, receiving direct military support from South Africa with help from the United States.[2] Ferocious combat was waged during this time period but neither side was able to claim total victory over the other.[3] By 1988, as the Cold War began to draw to a close, Cuba and South Africa withdrew their troops from the conflict.[2] Their withdrawal, coupled with the inability for either side to achieve total victory over the other, forced the MPLA and UNITA to the negotiating table to negotiate a political settlement to the conflict.[3]

Main article: Bicesse Accords

Beginning in 1 May 1991, UNITA and MPLA forces agreed on a framework to beginning establishing peace in Angola between the two warring parties.[4] This framework would evolve into the Bicesse Accords, signed by the People's Republic of Angola and UNITA on 31 May 1991 in Lisbon, Portugual. The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics acted as observers, while Portugual mediated the talks.[4] The accords set out a timetable and established certain conditions that each side agreed to meet by the specified dates. There were three key parts of the agreement. The first was the beginning of a cease fire, with the initial stages taking effect at the beginning of May and entering into force upon the signing of the accords.[4] The second key part of agreement was the integration of UNITA forces into the Angolan armed forces, which was to occur upon the implementation of the cease fire agreement and had numerous provisions to establish the non-partisan nature of the armed forces.[5] The third part of the agreement scheduled the date of a nationwide democratic election, which was to take place "between 1 September to 30 November 1992",[4] roughly sixteen months after the signing of the agreement.

Main article: 1992 Angolan general election

The 1992 elections, the first democratic elections held in Angola's history, took place from 29 September 1992 to 30 September 1992. The MPLA claimed victory in these elections, taking roughly fifty-three percent of the vote, gaining one hundred and twenty nine seats in the legislature.[6] UNITA, under the leadership of Jonas Savimbi, claimed thirty four percent of the vote and gained seventy seats.[6] For the presidency, José Eduardo dos Santos of the MPLA received forty-nine percent of the vote compared to UNITA Savimbi's forty percent.[6] Despite having a higher percentage of the vote, dos Santos was just shy of the fifty percent majority required to be reelected.[6] Because neither the MPLA nor UNITA obtained the required absolute majority of the presidential election, a follow-up election was necessary according to the constitution. Savimbi, in spite of the UN mission's declaration that the elections were generally free and fair, believed that the government had rigged the elections and began pulling UNITA's soldiers out of the new unified Angolan armed forces.[6] This essentially marked the beginning of the end for the Bicesse Accords and rising tensions between the Angolan government and UNITA.