Pembe. The Empire Blanched in Fear, Anger and Shame
Authors: arrifes marco 
Published: July 2018

On 25 September 1904, a military column that had been deployed to occupy the Kwanyama region in southern Angola was attacked and severely defeated by the Kwamatos. Over two hundred Portuguese soldiers are thought to have died in the fight, of which 109 were Europeans and 145 were Africans. The column left Lubango on 22 August and reached the Humbe, the furthest reach of Portuguese influence in the region, on 11 September. The going was slow because of the rugged terrain and the sluggish Boer cars, and the lack of water made the march toilsome, but it was nonetheless conducted in an organized manner, and there were no major incidents. On 19 September, the column, which had meanwhile been reinforced with indigenous companies and auxiliaries, was put in motion, and after 2Kms the troops began crossing the Cunene River. The crossing took a day and a half, with the troops already under Kwamato fire. The Battle of the Ford of Pembe had begun. The forces commanded by Captain João Maria Aguiar, Governor of Huila Province, bivouacked in square once they reached the left bank of the river. The bulk of the troops remained stationed there for six days, during which they were buffeted with constant lowintensity attacks. On the 23rd, an offensive reconnaissance action commanded by then Captain Gomes da Costa came into direct confrontation with the Kwamatos, who did not put up significant resistance. The troops took advantage of the opportunity to set fire to a few libatas [dwellings] and to carry out a more thorough reconnaissance of the surrounding territory. Two days later, a new detachment entered the woods, this time commanded by Captain Pinto de Almeida and, approximately 8Kms from the main column, in the Umpungo chana2, it was surrounded by Kwamato forces and completely destroyed. A few retreating soldiers were even hit by friendly fire from the artillery stationed along the river. That same day, the survivors retreated toward Humbe, crossing the Cunene in only three hours, leaving behind provisions, wine barrels, wire, all the zinc sheets they had used to protect the trenches, which had been built to protect the square, and many heavy supplies. A thunderstorm had meanwhile broken below the plateau, hindering telegraphic communications. Still, the first news of this upsetting event reached Moçâmedes as early as the 28th. Uncertainty and incredulity abounded during those first few days, but feelings of consternation and revolt soon began to spread. In Portugal, it was not until October that the initial reports were disclosed to great commotion. Displays of grief and religious ceremonies in honour of the dead multiplied across the country, while heated discussions erupted in the two houses of parliament, led by representatives of the Progressive Party, the opposition party at the time. At the same time, there were calls for punitive expeditions, and several disciplinary inquiries were launched which culminated with the appearance of the commander of the expedition before the War Council. The thinking produced by military circles, which sought to find an explanation for the events, often opened up new advanced platforms of analysis for the organics of the military mechanisms overseas.