Editing UNITA (section)

{{short description|Angolan political party}}
{{distinguish|UNITAS}}
{{redirect|Unita|the Italian newspaper|L'Unità|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = Angola
| name             = National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
| native_name      = União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola
| native_name_lang = pt
| colorcode        = {{party color|UNITA}}
| logo             = UNITA logo.png
| leader           = [[Adalberto Costa Júnior]]
| president        = 
| chairperson      = 
| spokesperson     = 
| leader1_name     = 
| founder          = [[Jonas Savimbi]]
| split            = [[National Liberation Front of Angola]]<ref>{{cite book|doi=10.17104/9783406623141  |title=Der Kalte Krieg |lang=de|page=72|author=Bernd Stöver|isbn=978-3-406-48014-0 }}</ref>
| foundation       = 13 March 1966
| dissolution      = 
| headquarters     = [[Luanda]]
| youth_wing       = Revolutionary United Youth of Angola
| womens_wing      = Angolan Women's League
| wing2_title      = Armed wing
| wing2            = [[Armed Forces of the Liberation of Angola|FALA]] (until 1993)
| membership_year  = 
| membership       = 
| ideology         = {{ubl|class=nowrap|
 |[[Big tent]]<ref name="JUSTINO">JUSTINO, Jofre. A actual UNITA traiu o espírito de Muangai. Maputo, 2006</ref>
 |[[Conservatism]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.consuladodeangola.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103123040/http://www.consuladodeangola.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27 | archive-date=3 November 2013 | title=Consulado Geral de Angola }}</ref>
 |[[Anti-communism]]
 |'''Formerly:'''
 |[[Communism]]
 |[[Maoism]]
|[[Left-wing nationalism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200202270537.html|title=Angola: Jonas Savimbi: Who Was He?|access-date=26 August 2023}}</ref>
 |[[Anti-Sovietism]]
}}
| position         = {{ubl|class=nowrap|
 |[[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]] to [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]]<ref name="JUSTINO">JUSTINO, Jofre. A actual UNITA traiu o espírito de Muangai. Maputo, 2006</ref>
 |'''Formerly:'''
 |[[Far-left]]
}}
| national         = [[Supreme Council for the Liberation of Angola]] {{small|(1972–1975)}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Angola.html | title=Angola }}</ref><br>[[United Patriotic Front]]
| regional         = [[Democrat Union of Africa]]
| international    = [[Centrist Democrat International]]
| colors           = 
| seats1_title     = Seats in the [[National Assembly of Angola|National Assembly]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|90|220|hex={{party color|UNITA}}}}
| website          = {{Official URL}}
| flag             = Flag of UNITA.svg
| footnotes        = 
}}
{{Politics of Angola}}
The '''National Union for the Total Independence of Angola''' ({{langx|pt|União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola}}, [[abbr.]] '''UNITA''') is the second-largest [[political party in Angola]]. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ([[MPLA]]) and the [[National Liberation Front of Angola]] (FNLA) in the [[Angolan War of Independence|Angolan War for Independence]] (1961–1975) and then against the MPLA in the ensuing [[Angolan Civil War|civil war]] (1975–2002). The war was one of the most prominent [[Cold War]] [[proxy war]]s, with UNITA receiving [[military aid]] initially from the [[China|People's Republic of China]] from 1966 until October 1975<ref name=Weigert2011>{{cite book|last=Weigert|first=Stephen L.|title=Angola: A Modern Military History, 1961–2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LdzJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA33|date=25 October 2011|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|isbn=978-0230337831|pages=33–34|access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=HessThesis>{{cite thesis |last=Hess |first=Morgan |year=2014 |url=https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1267&context=cc_etds_theses | title=U.S.-Chinese Cooperation and Conflict in the Angolan Civil War |publisher=[[City University of New York]] (CUNY) City College |access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref> and later from the United States{{efn|The United States supported the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) from 1961 to 1969 and from August 1974 to January 1976. The FNLA/UNITA coalition opposed the MPLA.<ref name=HessThesis/>}} and [[History of South Africa#Apartheid era (1948–1994)|apartheid South Africa]] while the MPLA received material and technical support from the [[Soviet Union]] and its allies, especially [[Cuba]].<ref name=Jameston09052007>{{cite news |url=https://jamestown.org/program/china-in-angola-an-emerging-energy-partnership/ |title=China in Angola: An Emerging Energy Partnership |newspaper=Jamestown |publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]] |via=China Brief Volume: 6 Issue: 22 |last=Hare |first=Paul |date=9 May 2007 |access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref><ref name=BBC25022002>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/264094.stm |title=Obituary: Jonas Savimbi, Unita's local boy |publisher=[[BBC]] |last=Simpson |first=Chris |date=25 February 2002 |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref>

Until 1996, UNITA was [[Blood diamond#Angola|funded through Angolan diamond mines]] in both [[Lunda Norte Province|Lunda Norte]] and [[Lunda Sul Province|Lunda Sul]] along the [[Kwango River|Cuango River]] valley, especially the [[Catoca diamond mine|Catoca mine]], which was Angola's only [[Kimberlite]] mine at that time.<ref name=NYT06042000>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/06/world/diamond-wars-a-special-report-africa-s-gems-warfare-s-best-friend.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=DIAMOND WARS: A special report.; Africa's Gems: Warfare's Best Friend |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Harden |first=Blaine |author-link=Blaine Harden |date=6 April 2000 |access-date=27 January 2020 |archive-date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128032031/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/06/world/diamond-wars-a-special-report-africa-s-gems-warfare-s-best-friend.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |language=en}}</ref> Valdemar Chindondo served as [[chief of staff]] in the government of UNITA,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n00kKKraE0UC&q=Valdemar+Chidondo&pg=PA19|title=Death of Dignity: Angola's Civil War|last=Brittain|first=Victoria|date=1998|publisher=[[Pluto Press]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7453-1247-7|language=en}}</ref> pro-Western rebels, during the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002). [[Jonas Savimbi]], leader of UNITA, allegedly ordered Chindondo's assassination.<ref name=a>{{cite book|last=Kukkuk|first=Leon|year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SdtX3FwAMEoC&pg=PA102|title=Letters to Gabriella|publisher=FLF Press|pages=102|isbn=978-1891855672}}</ref>

Savimbi's successor as president of UNITA was [[Isaías Samakuva]]. Following Savimbi's death, UNITA abandoned armed struggle and participated in electoral politics. The party won 51 out of 220 seats in the [[2017 Angolan general election|2017 parliamentary election]]. Samakuva resigned as party leader in November 2019, being replaced by [[Adalberto Costa Júnior]].