Cassinga raid
E821154
The Cassinga raid was a controversial 1978 South African airborne attack on a SWAPO camp in southern Angola, notable for its high civilian casualties and its impact on the course and international perception of the South African Border War.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
airborne assault
ⓘ
military operation ⓘ |
| airSupport |
South African Air Force bombers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
South African Air Force fighter aircraft ⓘ |
| allegation | violations of international humanitarian law ⓘ |
| attacker |
SADF
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
South African Defence Force NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| broaderContext |
Cold War conflicts in southern Africa
ⓘ
Namibian War of Independence NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| casualties |
SWAPO combatants
ⓘ
large number of Namibian civilians ⓘ |
| commemoration | Cassinga Day in Namibia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commemorationCountry | Namibia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commemorationDate | May 4 ⓘ |
| conflict | South African Border War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country | South Africa ⓘ |
| date | 1978-05-04 ⓘ |
| describedAs |
attack on a legitimate military target by South African government
ⓘ
controversial ⓘ massacre by critics ⓘ |
| groundForces | South African paratroopers ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance | turning point in global awareness of the Namibian conflict ⓘ |
| location |
Cassinga
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
southern Angola ⓘ |
| locationCountry | Angola NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| militaryBranch |
South African Air Force
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
South African Army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
continuing historical controversy over nature of the camp
ⓘ
high civilian death toll ⓘ impact on international perception of South African Border War ⓘ |
| operationType |
airborne paratroop assault
ⓘ
combined air and ground attack ⓘ |
| opponent |
People’s Liberation Army of Namibia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
SWAPO NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| opponentClaim | camp was mainly a refugee camp ⓘ |
| partOf | South African Border War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| perpetratorClaim | camp was a SWAPO military headquarters ⓘ |
| politicalImpact |
heightened international criticism of apartheid South Africa
ⓘ
strengthened SWAPO’s diplomatic position at the United Nations ⓘ |
| reaction |
condemnation by many African states
ⓘ
debate in Western countries over South African policy ⓘ |
| result |
South African tactical success
ⓘ
high civilian casualties ⓘ increased international support for SWAPO ⓘ international condemnation of South Africa ⓘ |
| target |
SWAPO camp at Cassinga
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
South West Africa People’s Organization NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| year | 1978 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.