Battle of Kombi

A decisive battle in the war between Ndongo-Matamba and Portugal during the Dutch period of Angolan history. Dutch forces which had occupied Luanda in 1641 had not been active in seeking to drive the Portuguese from their interior positions, and in 1643 had signed a truce which effectively left Portugal in command of the interior presidios. However, the kingdom of Ndongo, long time enemy of Portuguese ambitions, then led by Ngola Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba fought on against the Portuguese without Dutch help. Following her defeat at Kavanga in 1646, however, the situation was sufficiently grave that the Dutch commander decided to commit forces to her support.

Thus, in 1647 Njinga and the Dutch force met the Portuguese field army somewhere north of Masangano (the battlefield has not yet been located). According to the only surviving detailed account, a Dutch report published as a pamphlet shortly after the engagement, it was a complete victory for Njinga's forces, resulting in heavy Portuguese casulties.

As a result of this victory, Njinga and her army was able to lay siege to three of the Portuguese presidios in Angola, Ambaca, Masangano and Muxima. These sieges were not successful, largely because neither she nor her Dutch allies possessed sufficient artillery to effect an attack. When the forces of Salvador de Sá e Benevides arrived in 1648, Njinga was forced to abandon the siege and return to her headquarters in Matamba.