Invisible Stakeholders

The report examines the role of youth in Angola's 27-year civil war, arguing that they were not merely passive victims but were actively co-opted and politicised by both the MPLA and UNITA. It details the mechanisms of indoctrination, forced recruitment, and the economic drivers—such as the informal diamond trade—that integrated youth into the war's structure. The author highlights the long-term challenge of reintegrating these 'child-adults' into a society marked by deep political polarisation and a lack of socio-economic opportunity.

• Both the MPLA and UNITA utilised a paternalistic model of authority to mobilise youth, framing the state or party leader as a 'father' to ensure unquestioning loyalty. UNITA specifically used Jonas Savimbi's self-styling as the 'father' of the movement to dissociate children from their biological families and increase their reliance on the 'UNITA family'.
• UNITA implemented a structured system of youth politicisation through organisations such as Alvorada for pre-adolescents and JURA for older youth. These groups used 'political preparation', including propaganda, songs, and dances, to indoctrinate youth into the war movement and ensure their loyalty.

APA

Parsons, I. (n.d.). Invisible Stakeholders. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INVISIBLECHAP3.PDF

Chicago

Parsons, Imogen. Invisible Stakeholders. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INVISIBLECHAP3.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parsons |first1=Imogen |title=Invisible Stakeholders |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INVISIBLECHAP3.PDF |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parsonsndinvisible, author = {Parsons, Imogen}, title = {{Invisible Stakeholders}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/INVISIBLECHAP3.PDF}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }