Municipality of Menongue

Menongue is a town, municipality and the capital of Cuando Cubango Province in Angola.^[2]

It is one of the four Mbunda municipalities in Angola, predominantly occupied by the Mbunda under the traditional authority of Mbunda Chiefs Mwene Vunonge and Mwene Kangamba (Mwene Chainda Ngongola), who ascribe to the Mbunda Monarch, His Majesty King Mbandu III Mbandu Lifuti restored on 16 August 2008, in Moxico, Angola.

It is the current terminus of the Moçâmedes Railway, from Namibe,^[1] and also home of the small Menongue Airport.

History

Due to the Mbunda displacement caused by their resistance to Portuguese colonial occupation,^[3] and later because of the impact of the Angolan War of Independence (1961–1974), the decolonization conflict in Angola (1974/75),^[4] and the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002), the Mbunda language area is now said to be in between the Lunguevungu River to the north and the Cuando Cubango River to the south.^[5] This position has supposedly reduced the Mbunda language area but not the Mbunda people territory of influence.

After independence in 1975, MiG 23 aircraft from the nearby airbase launched air strikes against the SADF during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987–1988), a battle of the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002).

Chief’s Name                                        River Area Location

1)   Pramount Chief Mwene Vunonge            Cuando Cubangu

2)   Mwene Kangamba (Chainda Ngongola)   Cuando Cubangu

References

^[1] "Menongue". Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Retrieved 25 April 2012.

^[2] "City councils of Angola". Statoids. Retrieved April 7, 2009.

^[3] René Pélissier, La révolte des Bunda (1916-1917), pp. 408 - 412 (French for "the Mbunda revolt"), section footnotes citing sources: Luís Figueira, Princesa Negra: O preço da civilização em África, Coimbra Edição do autor, 1932.

^[4] Franz-Wilhelm Heimer, Der Entkolonisierungskonflikt in Angola, Munich: Weltforum Verlag, 1979 ISBN 3-8039-0179-0

^[5] A área linguística do MBUNDA tem-se modificado

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