The change of government in Portugal and their change in policy to their colonies created a power vacuum that the liberation forces of Angola began fighting over.
America, Cuba, the Soviets and South Africa were dragged in even deeper.
With America fearing the increased Cuban and Soviet interventions, they lent more support via the CIA under very ambiguous and dubious circumstances.
I finally managed to dredge up an English documentary that covers the involvement of all the players.
With inputs from all parties, including Fidel Castro and CIA Leadership, to set the stage under which the major South African offensive was held. This offensive escalated South African meddling in Angola to a previously unprecedented scale.
So began the Angolan phase of the South African Border War with backing from the CIA and from then onward the South Africa Border War would be intimately intertwined with the Angolan Civil War.
CIA - Angolan Revolution
Involvement of CIA, Cuba, Russia and South Africa as seen from the US and Cuban perspective.
Next time we will take a look at this through South African eyes, beginning with Operation Savannah.
Other posts in this series
The piece of the cold war nobody told you about - Africa's forgotten war
The air battles
The SA Fighter Aircraft
The SA Bomber Aircraft
The conflicts deep roots and start
Regional Tensions
Africa's forgotten cold war - Angolan War of Independence.
Africa's forgotten cold war - Mozambican War of Independence.
Africa's forgotten cold war - Rhodesian Bush War