Angola’s protracted oil conflict: The cycle of oil violence and victims

Abstract

The atrocious civil war which had plagued the people of Angola for more than two decades came to a decisive end in 2002. Conceivably, the drawn-out conflict left the national economy, infrastructure and inhabitants of oil region in tatters. Therefore, this article will analyse the concept of victims and victimology and the likely impact of Angola‘s oil exploration on Cabinda‘s inhabitants. It will further investigate the impasse between Luanda and Cabinda from the perspective of the impact of oil revenues, of which a significant proportion is derived from the latter‘s oil fields, on Angola‘s overall fiscal governance and allocation to Cabinda‘s inhabitants. Additionally, the analysis will explore the corollary of Cabinda‘s plight on multinational oil companies, as well as their reaction to the crisis.