| Battle of Kitombo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Kongo Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kongo states of Soyo and Ngoyo | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Count Estêvão Da Silva | Commander João Soares de Almeida † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Unknown number of musketeers, heavy infantry and bowmen 4 Dutch light field pieces |
Unknown number of irregular bowmen Unknown number of auxiliary Imbangala 400–500 Portuguese musketeers 4 light cannons and a detachment of cavalry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown but very heavy, including João Soares de Almeida | |||||||
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The Battle of Kitombo was a military engagement between forces of the BaKongo state of Soyo, formerly a province of the Kingdom of Kongo, and the Portuguese colony of Angola on 18 October 1670. Earlier in the year a Portuguese expeditionary force had invaded Soyo with the intention of ending its independent existence. The Soyo were supported by the Kingdom of Ngoyo, which provided men and equipment, and by the Dutch, who provide guns, light cannon and ammunition. The combined Soyo-Ngoyo force was led by Estêvão Da Silva, and the Portuguese by João Soares de Almeida. Both commanders were killed in the battle, which resulted in a decisive victory for Soyo. Few, if any, of the invaders escaped death or capture.