following negotiations held in portugal, itself experiencing severe social and political turmoil and uncertainty due to the april 1974 revolution, angola's three main guerrilla groups agreed to establish a transitional government in january 1975. within two months, however, the fnla, mpla and unita had started fighting each other and the country began splitting into zones controlled by rival armed political groups. 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. at this time, most of the half-million portuguese who lived in angola – and who had accounted for the majority of the skilled workers in public administration, agriculture, industries and trade – fled the country, leaving its once prosperous and growing economy in a state of bankruptcy.