Stakeholder MPLA

Justification for SCS – MPLA is the main political party in Angola, having been in power since 1975. They were also one of the main parties in the 20-year civil war ending in 2002.

Stakeholder size (number of people)
a. Troops: 107,000 (as at 2006, and looking at trends this should be roughly the current number)

Area of Influence
a. The MPLA’s rule of the country is comparable to a one-party state. Their rule, and indeed the control asserted by the country of Angola, is challenged in the oil-rich Cabinda province, which is geographically and ethnically separate from Angola’s main boundaries.
b. Population subsets
i. Traditionally, the main supporters of the MPLA have been the Mbundu ethnic group, centered in Luanda in the capital and the North of the country. This is the most “Europeanized” ethnic group in the country, and during the colonial period were known to often marry Portuguese.
ii. However, the MPLA are in fact the most popular political group in the country regardless of ethnic origins (this being due in part to state control of the media and very little free press).

Description of Organization
a. Who are the leaders?
i. Party Leader - José Eduardo dos Santos
1. President of Angola since 1979
2. Continued strong support within the party
ii. Council of Ministers
b. How does one gain influence in the group?
i. Curry favor with the aforementioned leadership
c. What issues do they care about?
i. Increasing profitability of the country’s resource production
1. Oil sector development
2. Infrastructure development
ii. Maintaining power
iii. Maintaining reasonably good, if not always warm, international relations particularly with the major powers
d. What does the organizational structure look like?
i. Oligarchy – Patronage System
ii. The office of the president makes decisions free from the oversight of the Parliament of the judiciary
iii. Despite rapid economic growth (21% real GDP growth predicted this year) and massive oil profits, the majority of the population lives on less than $2 a day

Financial Resources (if applicable)
a. List activities that generate cash flow
i. Oil production
1. 55% of GDP
2. 94% of exports
3. 90% of government revenue
ii. Diamond production
b. Income from activities
c. Profitability

Military Resources (if applicable)
a. What arms do they possess
i. Armored fighting vehicles, armored helicopters, artillery, light weapons, mines, small arms
ii. How much?
b. Experience level

Provide a short history of the stakeholder group
a. What is their origin?
1. Estab’d 1966
2. One of the three main groups that fought for independence from Portugal, along with UNITA and FNLA
3. Upon gaining independence, the three main groups soon become to fight one another for control of the country
4. MPLA quickly won out, and was recognized as the leaders of the Angolan govt by much of the internat’l community
5. However, the conflict continued due to its status as a proxy war between the cold war enemies. USSR and Cuba backed the MPLA, while UNITA was backed by the US and apartheid South Africa.
b. How have they changed?
i. In the early 1990s they renounced communism in favor of democracy
ii. Nevertheless, they have maintained tight rule of the country
iii. Level of influence
1. Their level of influence has grown since their military defeat of the main opposition, UNITA.
2. It has also grown due to the increased oil production in the country. This decreases any leverage held by the international community on their internal policies.
iv. Resources
1. Control of state diamond and oil companies, SODIAM and Sonangol
2. This marks a change from the war period, during which UNITA was able to control a significant portion of the diamond mines, which they used to fund their end of the conflict
c. What are their future goals?
i. Maintaining power beyond the 2008 legislative and 2009 presidential elections (these elections are planned but indeed may not happen, as the government has reneged promises to hold elections on several occasions in the past)
ii. Increased profitability of its resource sectors
iii. Maintaining good relations with those who are enabling developing of the resource sectors, particularly China. Sarkozy will be visiting later this month (Feb 08)
iv. Developing agriculture