Today in African History 1975 Angola achieved independence from Portuguese colonial rule after centuries of resistance and more than a decade of armed struggle. On 11 November 1975, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Agostinho Neto, proclaimed the nation’s independence in Luanda. The end of Portuguese control marked a major victory in Africa’s broader decolonization movement — but independence also ushered in a period of internal conflict, as rival liberation movem