Angola's National Oil Company Continues to Be the Government's Backbone

Before Angola's independence in 1975, Portugal imposed a contentious and hastily thrown together power-sharing deal among Angola's three main ethnic groups: the Bakongo, Mbundu and Ovimbundu. This pact unraveled quickly after independence as Angola descended into a three-way civil war. Sonangol, Angola's state-owned oil company, emerged from this conflict, which ended with a victory for the ruling Mbundu-led Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. The party, which used Sonangol's revenues to finance its military during the civil war, now considers the company one of its pillars of strength.