Operation Restore () was a military operation that the

Angolan Armed Forces The Angolan Armed Forces () or FAA is the military of Angola. The FAA consist of the Angolan Army (), the Angolan Navy () and the National Air Force of Angola (). Reported total manpower in 2021 was about 107,000. The FAA is headed by the C ...

(FAA) conducted against the

National Union for the Total Independence of Angola The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( MPLA) and the National Lib ...

(UNITA) and its militant wing, the

Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola The Armed Forces of the Liberation of Angola () or FALA was the armed wing of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), a prominent political faction during the Angolan Civil War. History After their training in China in ...

(FALA). FAA carried out Operation Restore in late 1999 during the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

. Air support for the operation was provided by FAA

Embraer EMB 312 Tucano The Embraer EMB 312 Tucano (English: ''Toucan'') is a Monoplane#Low, low-wing, tandem-seat, single-turboprop, basic trainer (aircraft), trainer and light attack aircraft developed and produced by Embraer in Brazil. The Brazilian Air Force sponso ...

s. Per UNITA, the Tucanos were allegedly crewed by Brazilian pilots contracted by the Angolan government. UNITA subsequently declared "that anything within the Angolan national territory, identified as Brazil's interest, is... considered a target and will not be spared" from their attacks. The FAA captured

Andulo Andulo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola. The municipality covers an area of , with a Population of 258,161 in 2014. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Mussende, to the east by the municipalities of Luquembo ...

and

Bailundo Bailundo (pre-1975 Vila Teixeira da Silva) is a municipality, with a population of 294,494 (2014), and a town, with a population of 70,481 (2014), in the province of Huambo, Angola. In the 1990s, Bailundo was the location of the headquarters o ...

. By December, Chief of Staff General João de Matos said the FAA had destroyed 80% of FALA’s manpower and captured 15,000 tons of military equipment.

References

{{Reflist Restore Battles in 1999 Angola–Brazil relations Restore