The African context of nationalist awakening favored the appearance of many independence currents which led to the wave of decolonization of many African countries in the 1960s. It is in this dynamic of nationalist effervescence that three independence organizations were created. Cabindaises in the former Belgian and French Congo: the Movement for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (MLEC) in Léopoldville in 1959, chaired by Luis de Gonzaga Ranque Franque, the Action Committee of Union Nationale Cabindaise (CAUNC) in Brazzaville in 1961, chaired by Henriques Nzita Tiago and the Alliance du Mayombe (ALIAMA, named after the northern forest massif of Cabinda) in Pointe-Noire in 1962, chaired by António Eduardo Sozinho Nzau.

Father Fulbert Youlou, President of Congo-Brazzaville, supported Cabinda’s demand for independence, and facilitated the presence of Cabindan separatists in his country. In 1963, the three separatist political movements merged to form the Front de Liberation de l’Enclave du Cabinda (FLEC), based in Pointe-Noire.

At the end of this first major meeting for the reunification of Cabindean political forces, the FLEC Bureau is made up of Mr. Luis de Gonzaga Ranque Franque, President of FLEC, Mr. Henriques Nzita Tiago, Vice-president of FLEC and Mr. António Eduardo Sozinho Nzau, Secretary General of FLEC. The birth of FLEC is rooted in a purely Cabindaise identity, correlated with an African context of nationalist awakening.

This independence movement is an heir to the anti-colonial struggle which has never ceased to challenge history, having first fought against the Portuguese Empire and now fighting against one of the most seasoned armies in Africa, the Forces Angolan Armies (FAA).

On August 1, 1975, Mr. Luis de Gonzaga Ranque Franque, President of FLEC proclaimed the independence of Cabinda at the OAU summit in Kampala, recognized by Gabon, Uganda and Zaire (current Democratic Republic of Congo).

In 1975, Mr. Henrique Nzita Tiago founded the military wing of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, in particular the Armed Forces Cabindaises, in acronym FLEC-FAC, he became President and Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces Cabindaises (FAC).

Despite major setbacks in the early 1990s and an unfavorable sub-regional and international context, the Cabindan independence movement has shown great resilience, recalling the tree that resists fire, in the name of “Mpalabanda”.