South African Border War | |||||||||
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Part of the Cold War and Decolonisation of Africa | |||||||||
Clockwise from top left: FAPLA MiG-21bis on an airstrip; SADF convoy patrolling Namibian roads; 1981 protests against SADF aggression in Angola; Soviet advisor with FAPLA soldiers; UNTAG peacekeepers just prior to Namibian independence; SADF expeditionary troops loading a mortar in the operational area |
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Anti-communist forces: South Africa South West Africa |
African nationalist forces: SWAPO (PLAN) SWANU |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Gerrit Viljoen Willie van Niekerk Louis Pienaar BJ Vorster Pieter Willem Botha Cornelius Njoba Peter Kalangula Jonas Savimbi |
Sam Nujoma António Franca Iko Carreira |
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Strength | |||||||||
~71,000 (1988) 30,743 SADF troops in Angola and Namibia South West Africa: 22,000 SWATF troops 8,300 SWAPOL police |
~ 94,000 (1988) 32,000 PLAN guerrillas Cuba: 12,000 FAR troops in southern Angola Angola: 50,000 FAPLA troops |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
2,038 – 2,500 |
11,335 2,016–5,000 (including Angolan Civil War casualties) |
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Namibian civilian dead: 947–1,087 |
Military stalemate
Sam Nujoma
Tobias Hainyeko
Peter Nanyemba
Dimo Hamaambo
Peter Mweshihange