Africa-Press – Angola. The Provincial Delegate of Former Combatants and Veterans of the Fatherland, Ananias Gomes, defended, in this city, more publicity and recognition of the protagonists of the expansion of the armed struggle for national liberation, which took place on March 15, 1961.
According to the official, the aforementioned struggle mobilized by the then Union of the Peoples of Angola (UPA), involved several Angolan nationalists, who revolted against the Portuguese colonialist power in some regions of northern Angola, with emphasis on the provinces of Malanje, Cuanza Norte, Uíge, Zaire and Bengo.
Speaking during a round table on the day of expansion of the armed struggle for national liberation,Ananias Gomes stated that the battle ended only on the 25th of April after negotiations between the Angolan Liberation Movements and the colonial yoke, in Portugal.
He highlighted that from then on, the struggle of Angolans against colonial repression never stopped, until achieving national independence on 11 November 1975, highlighting that this heroism must be remembered, as it cost the lives of many young Angolans.
“The nationalists who were on different fronts deserve recognition and society owes a moral debt to them”, he stressed, adding that this and other acts of anti-colonial struggle are priceless.
In turn, the secretary for Political, Electoral, Economic, Social and State Reform affairs of the MPLA Provincial Committee, Bernardo Manuel praised the bravery of the nationalists and supports the opinion of providing greater appreciation for their heroism.
He recalled that the exploitation of Angolans by the colonialists and the attribution of forced labor, among other acts, caused the nationalists to take up the fight on March 15th, after the events of January 4th, 1961, the day of the return of Baixa from Cassanje.
However, he highlighted that it is the objective of his party and the nation to preserve national independence, one of the country’s greatest gains, as well as guarantee national unity and reconciliation.
March 15, 1961 is a date that, for some sectors in Angola, marks the beginning of the armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism, led by the UPA, an organization that later culminated in the constitution of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola ( FNLA).
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
