351:, provided logistical support to the SWAPO administration at Cassinga. According to SADF intelligence, "Logistic planning and the provision of supplies, weapons and ammunition to insurgents operating in central and eastern Ovamboland were undertaken from Cassinga. Medical treatment of the seriously wounded as well as the repair of equipment and the assembly of newly trained insurgents on their way to bases in the East and West Cunene Provinces all took place in Cassinga."
382:
continued to maintain that the defenders were uniformed PLAN combatants. The
Angolan government counted 624 dead and 611 injured civilians as well as combatants. Among the dead were 167 women and 298 teenagers and children. Since many of the combatants were female or teenagers, and many combatants did not wear uniforms, the exact number of civilians among the dead could not be established. A secret report to the SWAPO Central Committee listed 582 dead and 400 wounded.
50:
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has been subject to international controversy. Angolan officials subsequently flew in a team of international journalists who photographed mass graves on site, verifying several bodies as women and children in civilian dress. Indignant at claims that its personnel had committed a war crime, the SADF
236:
as a national holiday. SWAPO and the MPLA claimed the battle was a massacre of a refugee camp. The battle is thus regarded the turning point in the fight for
Namibian independence, which then started drawing support from a wider segment of the population. Some South Africans, mostly those who fought
336:
occupied the place. Not long after the establishment of the PLAN camp at
Cassinga, it began to function also as a transit camp for Namibian exiles. The Angolan government allocated the abandoned village to SWAPO in 1976 to cope with the influx of thousands of refugees from South-West Africa,
237:
in the battle, and their families, celebrate a "jewel of military craftmanship". These people pay respect to those who died in the battle, by visiting the town. No major commemorations or celebrations are held by the general South
African public, of all races.
294:. Moçâmedes housed expatriate workers, the foreign engineers, and their families for two years until the first 250,000 tons of ore were shipped out in 1967. At that time Cassinga had about twenty buildings serving as warehouses, accommodation and offices.
376:
supported by bomber and strike aircraft, South Africa briefly occupied
Cassinga on 4 May 1978. The assault, which left sixty Cuban military advisers and over five hundred South West African exiles dead, is now called
285:
Mining
Company. Cassinga's product would eventually be channeled to Saco under direction of Portuguese authorities. Development of the installation was trusted to Krupp and SETH, a Portuguese subsidiary of
308:
Cassinga continued to thrive until Angola's independence from
Portugal in 1975. Abandoned by its European supervisors, the mine and the settlement quickly fell into neglect during the ensuing
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reported of a "well-run and well-organized" camp but "ill-equipped" to cope with the rapid refugee increase in early 1978. The Cubans, who set up a base at nearby
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485:-speaking miners, or by indigenous people in whose language the letter "K" is also common. Municipal sources continue to use the older spelling.
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engineers working in concert with the colonial administration. Between 1966 and 1967, a second terminal for extracting the ore was completed at
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Edward George, The Cuban
Intervention in Angola, 1965-1991: From Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale. Psychology Press, 2004.
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The settlement is a place of reverence and pilgrimage by both belligerents of the battle. Namibians celebrate
389:. As of 2015 the site of the battle is still partly mined, and the mass graves have fallen into disrepair.
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allegedly used as
Namibian guerrilla training site and refugee camp, the place was the scene of the
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Japanese interests wish to reopen the iron ore mine and link it by rail to the
Namibian port of
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on 4 May 1978 that killed several hundred SWAPO fighters, Cuban soldiers and Namibian refugees.
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attacks. After using the ghost town as a stopover point for a few weeks, a PLAN squad led by
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The Namibians abandoned the camp after the attacks and moved their headquarters to
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726:"Exile History: An Ethnography of the SWAPO Camps and the Namibian Nation"
643:. International Defence & Aid Fund, 1983, Volume 1 Issues 44-45 p. 12.
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402:, the SADF finally occupied the area for the second time on 22 December.
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is also commonly used, with the "K" being an adoption of the original
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crossed Cassinga in 1874. There is still a monument remembering those
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By 1978, PLAN's presence had attracted the attention of the
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It is situated on an old and important two-track road from
757:(Report). Vol. 2. Department of Justice, South Africa
752:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report
337:
estimated in May 1978 to total 3,000 to 4,000 people.
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656:. Commonwealth Secretariat. 2004. Archived from
641:Focus on Political Repression in Southern Africa
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684:A General's Story: From an Era of War and Peace
392:Cassinga was the site of more fighting during
802:
8:
366:. Executing a massive external raid (dubbed
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213:Established as an ore mine and during the
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777:MBendi – Angola - Mining: Iron Ore Mining
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326:South West African People's Organization
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701:McGill Alexander, Edward (July 2003).
250:One of the exploratory travels of the
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7:
628:
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273:, a bay just 12 kilometres north of
748:Truth and Reconciliation Commission
358:Victims of the 1978 raid, Cassinga.
322:People's Liberation Army of Namibia
312:. It is located about halfway from
227:People's Liberation Army of Namibia
1340:Populated places in Huíla Province
512:Amupadhi, Tangeni (12 June 2015).
14:
324:(PLAN), the military wing of the
18:Commune and town in Huíla, Angola
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261:Located near the site is an old
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56:
55:
48:
724:Williams, Christian A. (2009).
418:on Namibia's northern border.
372:) involving paratroops of the
1:
349:intervened in the war in 1975
1350:Mining communities in Africa
258:that died during that trip.
682:Geldenhuys, Jannie (1995).
364:South African Defence Force
223:South African Defence Force
1371:
1345:Communes in Huíla Province
438:Railway stations in Angola
301:
279:Compania Mineira do Lobito
221:, an airborne raid by the
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43:
30:
191:in the municipality of
97:15.113167°S 16.102444°E
733:University of Michigan
477:terminology either by
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292:Højgaard & Schultz
177:
608:McGill Alexander 2003
584:McGill Alexander 2003
374:44 Parachute Regiment
357:
176:
102:-15.113167; 16.102444
660:on 27 September 2007
514:"Cassinga forgotten"
469:The transliteration
298:During the Civil War
265:mine constructed by
750:(29 October 1998).
703:"The Cassinga Raid"
654:"Namibia Key Facts"
443:Transport in Angola
400:mechanised infantry
246:Before Independence
93: /
1335:Battle of Cassinga
447:Iron ore in Africa
432:Battle of Cassinga
379:Battle of Cassinga
369:Operation Reindeer
360:
328:(SWAPO), launched
318:South-West African
304:Battle of Cassinga
219:Battle of Cassinga
178:
69:Location in Angola
1322:
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957:Capunda-Cavilongo
686:. Jonathan Ball.
610:, pp. 52–53.
571:, pp. 38–39.
320:border where the
310:Angolan Civil War
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1355:Mining in Angola
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526:on 4 May 2021
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78:Coordinates:
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759:. Retrieved
736:. Retrieved
713:. Retrieved
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662:. Retrieved
658:the original
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615:
603:
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552:
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528:. Retrieved
524:the original
519:The Namibian
517:
470:
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457:Explanations
428:Cassinga Day
409:
393:
391:
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367:
361:
339:
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260:
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234:Cassinga Day
231:
225:against the
212:
201:
184:
180:
179:
144:Municipality
88:16°06′08.8″E
85:15°06′47.4″S
15:
1225:(Capelungo)
908:Viti Vivale
898:Chiquaqueia
761:5 September
715:5 September
664:5 September
345:Techamutete
100: /
1329:Categories
1272:Quilengues
1253:Quilengues
933:Caluquembe
919:Caluquembe
693:1868420205
676:Literature
475:Portuguese
452:References
412:Walvis Bay
347:when they
302:See also:
199:, Angola.
1223:Capelongo
1124:Bata-Bata
1001:(Kutenda)
835:Capital:
483:Afrikaans
416:Oshikango
330:guerrilla
275:Moçâmedes
256:trekboere
215:Civil War
156:Time zone
1314:Thicungo
1309:Thicongo
1303:Quipungo
1283:Quipungo
1205:Quilemba
1160:Cassinga
1099:Chibemba
1069:Galangue
1036:Chipindo
1022:Chipindo
1006:Libongue
993:Chicomba
984:Chicomba
903:Tchituto
869:(Gungue)
782:Saco Map
629:TRC-1998
596:TRC-1998
471:Kassinga
422:See also
185:Kassinga
181:Cassinga
132:Province
63:Cassinga
25:Cassinga
1243:Mulondo
1237:Micosse
1199:Lubango
1175:Lubango
1139:Palanca
1118:Humpata
1109:Humpata
1093:Chiange
1074:Vicungo
1063:Cuvango
1054:Cuvango
999:Cutenda
974:Quihita
856:Caconda
847:Caconda
838:Lubango
738:29 July
406:Railway
387:Lubango
316:to the
288:Denmark
241:History
189:commune
113:Country
33:Commune
1298:(Ombo)
1291:Cainda
1266:Impulo
1230:Matala
1215:Matala
1183:Arimba
1129:Kaholo
1084:Gambos
1043:Bunjei
963:Chibia
949:Chibia
939:Negola
927:Calepi
892:Cacula
883:Cacula
867:Gungui
690:
479:German
341:UNICEF
314:Huambo
283:Lobito
281:, the
208:Huambo
125:Angola
122:
1296:Hombo
1261:Dinde
1193:Huíla
1188:Hoque
1165:Dongo
1156:Jamba
1149:Jamba
1134:Neves
1030:Bambi
862:Cusse
755:(PDF)
729:(PDF)
710:UNISA
706:(PDF)
530:4 May
493:Notes
267:Krupp
204:Jamba
197:Huíla
193:Jamba
161:UTC+1
149:Jamba
137:Huíla
873:Waba
763:2007
740:2012
717:2007
688:ISBN
666:2007
532:2021
481:and
271:Saco
263:iron
37:town
35:and
1012:Quê
969:Jau
290:'s
277:by
206:to
183:or
165:WAT
1331::
731:.
708:.
576:^
516:.
500:^
210:.
810:e
803:t
796:v
765:.
742:.
719:.
696:.
668:.
598:.
586:.
534:.
434:.
167:)
163:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
