Nito Alves
Nito Alves (1945[1]–1977) was an Angolan politician who served as the interior minister of Angola from independence, on 11 November 1975, until President Agostinho Neto abolished the position in October 1976. A hardline member of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Alves is best known for his failed 1977 coup attempt against Neto.[2]
Nito Alves | |
|---|---|
| Interior Minister of Angola | |
| In office 11 November 1975 – 29 October 1976 | |
| President | Agostinho Neto |
| Prime Minister | Lopo do Nascimento |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (1976–1978) Alexandre Kito (1978–1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alves Bernardo Baptista 23 July 1945 Piri, Dembos, Portuguese Angola |
| Died | 14 July 1977 (aged 31) Luanda, People's Republic of Angola |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Political party |  MPLA |
Alves supported fractionism, opposing Neto's foreign policy of nonalignment, evolutionary socialism, and multiracialism. Alves favored stronger relations with the Soviet Union, which he wanted to grant military bases in Angola. He represented the MPLA at the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in February 1976.
On 21 May 1977, the MPLA expelled him from the party. He and his supporters broke into a prison, freeing other supporters, and took control of the radio station in Luanda in an attempted coup. Forces loyal to Neto took back the radio and arrested those involved in the coup attempt. While Cuban soldiers actively helped Neto put down the coup, Alves claimed that the Soviet Union supported the coup. British mercenaries in prison in Luanda refused to become involved.
Alves's power base was centered on Malanje. After the failed coup the MPLA undertook a purge designed to eliminate factionalism and killed thousands, including Alves.[3][2][4]
References
- Fauvet, Paul. "Angola: The Rise and Fall of Nito Alves". Review of African Political Economy, No. 9, Southern Africa. (May – Aug., 1977), pp. 88–104.
- Georges A. Fauriol and Eva Loser. Cuba: The International Dimension, 1990. Page 164.
- "27 de Maio 1977 por William Tonet". 27 May 2013.
- Domínguez, Jorge I. To Make a World Safe for Revolution: Cuba's Foreign Policy, 1989. Page 158.
Bibliography
- Birmingham, David (1978). "The Twenty-Seventh of May: An Historical Note on the Abortive 1977 "coup" in Angola". African Affairs. 77 (309): 554–564. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097027. ISSN 0001-9909. JSTOR 721965. OCLC 9971004115.
- Fauvet, Paul (1977). "Angola: The Rise and Fall of Nito Alves". Review of African Political Economy. 4 (9): 88–104. doi:10.1080/03056247808703331. ISSN 0305-6244. OCLC 9974728331.
- Pawson, Lara (June 2007). "The 27 May in Angola: a view from below" (PDF). Relações Internacionais. NOVA University Lisbon (14): 1–18. ISSN 1645-9199. OCLC 318075781. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011.
- Pawson, Lara (2014). In The Name of The People: Angola's Forgotten Massacre. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781780769059. OCLC 870285562.
- Pearce, Justin (2016). "Youthful Dissent Challenges Angola's Old Elite". Current History. 115 (781): 175–180. doi:10.1525/curh.2016.115.781.175. ISSN 0011-3530. JSTOR 48614167.
- Saul, John S. (2014). "'When freedom died' in Angola: Alves and after". Review of African Political Economy. 41 (142): 609–622. doi:10.1080/03056244.2014.928279. ISSN 0305-6244. OCLC 6261335371. S2CID 154204957.
Further reading
- Cabrita, Felícia (2008). Massacres em África (in Portuguese). Esfera dos Livros. ISBN 9789896260897. OCLC 232301193.
- Cabrita Mateus, Dalila; Mateus, Álvaro (2007). Purga em Angola: o 27 de Maio de 1977 (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.). Porto: Edições Asa. ISBN 9789724153728. OCLC 298612666.
- Cardoso Botelho, Américo (2007). Holocausto em Angola: memórias entre o cárcere e o cemitério (in Portuguese). Lisboa: Nova Vega. OCLC 682095616.
- Francisco, Miguel (2007). Nuvem Negra: o drama do 27 de Maio de 1977 (in Portuguese). Lisboa: Clássica Editora. ISBN 9789896040239. OCLC 228425169.
- Neto, Agostinho (1977). O que é o fraccionismo (in Portuguese). Luanda: Departamento de Orientac̜ão Revolucionaria. OCLC 78162811.