The Revolutionary Government of Angola in Exile was a government-in-exile led by the National Liberation Front of Angola

National Liberation Front of Angola

The National Front for the Liberation of Angola was a militant organization that fought for Angolan independence from Portugal in the war of independence under the leadership of Holden Roberto. The FNLA became a political party in 1992....

 (FNLA), based in Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

, Congo-Kinshasa. Holden Roberto

Holden Roberto

Holden Álvaro Roberto founded and led the National Liberation Front of Angola from 1962 to 1999. His memoirs are unfinished.-Early life:...

 was the president of GRAE. GRAE was founded in April 1962. GRAE had its armed forces stationed in Congo-Kinshasa and conducted military training there.

However, as Moïse Tshombe

Moise Tshombe

Moïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese politician.- Biography :He was the son of a successful Congolese businessman and was born in Musumba, Congo. He received his education from an American missionary school and later trained as an accountant...

 became Prime Minister in Congo-Kinshasa, Congolese aid for GRAE was reduced. In July 1964, the Foreign Minister of GRAE, Jonas Savimbi

Jonas Savimbi

Jonas Malheiro Savimbi was an Angolan political leader. He founded and led UNITA, a movement that first waged a guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial rule, 1966–1974, then confronted the rival MPLA during the decolonization conflict, 1974/75, and after independence in 1975 fought the ruling...

, resigned (in 1966 he would form a movement of his own, UNITA

UNITA

The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...

).

Initially, GRAE forces fought mainly in the northern Dembo forests. However, in early 1969 GRAE opened a second front along the Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

n border.

OAU recognition

When the Organization for African Unity was founded in 1963, GRAE was granted exclusive recognition as the legitimate government of Angola, a move which spurred the Congolese government to expel the MPLA forces (a rival liberation movement to FNLA) from Congo-Kinshasa. However, in 1964 OAU also recognized MPLA as a legitimate liberation movement, and gradually support was reduced for GRAE. In the period 1971-1972 GRAE received 61666 pounds sterling from the OAU, 5.69% of the total amounts donated by the OAU to different African liberation movements at the time. During the same period, OAU gave MPLA 180334 pounds sterling.

International linkages

GRAE constituted a bloc of African movements, together with the Pan-Africanist Congress (South Africa), Revolutionary Committee of Mozambique and Zimbabwe African National Union

Zimbabwe African National Union

The Zimbabwe African National Union was a militant organization that fought against the standing government in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union...

. Through this cooperation, GRAE gave some military assistance to its Mozambican counterpart. In the 1960s, GRAE received a large share of humanitarian aid for Angolan refugees from Western sources. GRAE was supported by China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. GRAE did also receive some assistance from the Soviet bloc.