by Susan Peterson and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Analysts, Luanda, Angola
One of Africa's major oil producers, Angola is nonetheless one of the world's poorest countries.
It is striving to tackle the physical, social and political
legacy of a 27-year civil war that ravaged the country after
independence. The governing Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the rebel group Unita were bitter rivals even before the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
The Soviet Union and Cuba supported the then-Marxist MPLA, while the US and white-ruled South Africa backed Unita as a bulwark against Soviet influence in Africa.
Angola gained independence from Portugal in 1975
But the fighting steadily worsened again and in 1999 the peacekeepers withdrew, leaving behind a country rich in natural resources but littered with landmines and the ruins of war.
The connection between the civil war and the unregulated diamond trade - or "blood diamonds" - was a source of international concern. The UN froze bank accounts used in the gem trade.
Peace
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At a glance
- Politics: President has been in power for 30 years. Oil-rich enclave of Cabinda has been embroiled in a long-running independence struggle
- Economy: One of Africa's leading oil producers, but most people still live on less than US $1 a day. Experiencing a post-war reconstruction boom
- International: China has promised substantial assistance to Angola, one of its main oil suppliers
The death of Unita leader Jonas
Savimbi in a gunfight with government forces in February 2002 raised the
prospect of peace and the army and rebels signed a ceasefire in April
to end the conflict. The government has overseen a transition to
democracy, although Unita continues to complain that the opposition
faces intimidation and lack of transparency at elections.
Angola is gradually rebuilding its infrastructure, retrieving
weapons from its heavily-armed civilian population and resettling tens
of thousands of refugees who fled the fighting. Landmines and impassable
roads have cut off large parts of the country. Many Angolans rely on
food aid. But oil exports and foreign loans have spurred economic growth and have fuelled a reconstruction boom. There have been allegations - denied by the government - that oil revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement.
Much of Angola's oil wealth lies in Cabinda province, where a decades-long separatist conflict simmers. The government has sent thousands of troops to subdue the rebellion in the enclave, which has no border with the rest of Angola. Human rights groups have alleged abuses against civilians.
The capital Luanda has seen a construction boom since the end of the civil war
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