the mpla gained control of the capital luanda and much of the rest of the country. with the support of the united states, zaïre and south africa intervened militarily in favour of the fnla and unita with the intention of taking luanda before the declaration of independence. in response, cuba intervened in favor of the mpla, which became a flash point for the cold war. with cuban support, the mpla held luanda and declared independence on 11 november 1975, with agostinho neto becoming the first president, though the civil war continued. josé eduardo dos santos became the first elected president of angola from the mpla-lt and continued to get the support of cuba.