Cabinda Province

Cabinda exists as an accident of colonial cartography: an Angolan exclave separated from the mainland by Democratic Republic of Congo territory, defined by the 1885 Treaty of Simulambuco with Portugal. This geographic anomaly would be unremarkable except for the oil beneath offshore waters—Cabinda produces roughly half of Angola's petroleum output, making it the geographic fragment that funds the nation.

The Cabinda Exclave Liberation Front has fought for independence since 1963, arguing that Simulambuco predates Angolan sovereignty and that oil wealth should benefit 700,000 Cabindans rather than 35 million Angolans. Persistent clashes with Angolan security forces continue into 2025. ExxonMobil's May 2024 discovery of new offshore reserves intensifies the stakes: more oil means more revenue worth fighting over, more military presence, and more grievance.

Cabinda demonstrates how resource geography creates political instability. The province produces disproportionate wealth but receives minimal development investment; residents see oil platforms from shore while lacking basic infrastructure. This mismatch between extraction value and local benefit fuels separatist movements worldwide—from Biafra to Aceh to Cabinda. Whether Angola can convert oil wealth into provincial development before reserves deplete determines whether Cabinda remains an extraction colony or becomes an integrated part of a diversifying nation.