Luanda: The former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano stated that the South African army's defeat in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale marked a turning point in completing the liberation of Southern Africa and overthrowing the apartheid regime. Addressing the International Conference on "The Role of the Frontline Countries in the Total Liberation of Southern Africa on the theme 'The Formation of the Frontline Countries and Their Influence on the Liberation of Africa'," Chissano said that Angola paved the way for the adoption of United Nations Resolution 435, the liberation of Namibia, and the end of apartheid in South Africa, which led to the release of Nelson Mandela.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the former Mozambican president highlighted that the struggle witnessed in Cuito Cuanavale was always accompanied by diplomatic work by the leaders, presidents, and their governments of the Front Line, a process that involved serious dialogues with the English, South Africans, and others.
During this period of intensification of the struggle against apartheid, Chissano noted the role played by the front line countries in the framework of the Anglo-American dialogue on Zimbabwe with the United Kingdom and the United States of America, in the process that led to the Lancaster House negotiations.
He explained that this process culminated in Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 and the country's immediate accession to the Front Line was crucial in the collapse of the State's Constitution project.
Chissano also stressed that the Front Line countries were key in the negotiations with the contact group on Namibia, resulting in the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 435, which led to the independence of this country.
"From the beginning, the Front Line leaders knew that the task of liberating the region from the dual oppression of colonialism and racism would be arduous and long, with a high price to pay," Chissano said.
He stressed that the total and complete independence of all the countries in the region and in Africa would make them feel safe and in control of their own destiny. Imbued with this internationalist and liberating spirit, he recalled that they were seen as a danger by the minority regimes in the South and the Apartheid regimes.
