Cassinga was abandoned by its European supervisors, and the mine fell into neglect during the ensuing Angolan Civil War.

[4] PLAN subsequently adopted Cassinga as a staging point for insurgent raids on South-West Africa, about 250 kilometres to the south.

In 1978, PLAN's presence in Cassinga attracted the attention of the South African Defence Force.

Operation Reindeer saw paratroops of the 44 Parachute Regiment supported by bomber and strike aircraft launch an air assault on 4 May.

Tourism is emerging, largely involving white entrepreneurs from Namibia, which the provincial government is actively seeking to attract.

[12] Favored by the relatively mild climate, there was a relatively strong colonization by Portuguese immigrants who sometimes mixed with the local population.