Grade 6 History Reference 4

THE MOZAMBICAN CIVIL WAR (1977-1992)

 The Mozambican Civil War was a 15-year conflict that occurred between May 30, 1977 and October
4, 1992 in the southern African country of Mozambique.
 The conflict was in fact a proxy war between the Soviet Union which backed the Mozambican
government and the United States which supported the insurgents.
 The war occurred two years after Mozambique officially gained its independence from Portugal.
 The main belligerents were the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) led by President Samora
Machel which controlled the central government and the Mozambican National Resistance
(RENAMO) led by André Matsangaissa.
 It was estimated that one million people died during a 15-year conflict in a country which in 1990
had a population of 14 million.
 When the Rhodesian troops freed André Matsangaissa, an ex-FRELIMO official who had been
arrested and imprisoned. Matsangaissa joined RENAMO which was formed in 1975 in opposition to
FRELIMO and quickly rose to become its leader.
 When Matsangaissa was killed in 1979 after an unsuccessful attack on a Mozambican regional
Centre, Afonso Dhlakama became the new leader of RENAMO.
 FRELIMO was strongest in the cities and major towns of Mozambique during much of the civil war
while RENAMO operated mainly in the countryside.
 The war continued into the 1980s with FRELIMO losing most of Mozambique’s territory although
keeping control in the urban areas.
 FRELIMO got support and aid from the Soviet Union, France, and the United Kingdom while
RENAMO got its aid from South Africa, Kenya, and covertly from the United States.
 In 1990, Mozambique adopted a new constitution that included multiparty elections.
 In 1992, a peace accord was signed in Rome, Italy which allowed UN peacekeepers to enter the
country.
 Their presence effectively ended the war. In 1994, the first free elections were held in the country.
 Despite FRELIMO winning the majority, a portion of the population voted for RENAMO candidates.
The political rivalry continues but the military conflict is over.