Mozambican War of Independence

Part of the Portuguese Colonial War, Decolonisation of Africa, and the Cold War

Date	September 25, 1964 – September 8, 1974 (9 years, 11 months and 2 weeks) June 25, 1975 (independence)
Location	Mozambique
Result	Ceasefire and independence of Mozambique after the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon Mozambican Civil War begins

Belligerents

FRELIMO

Portugal

Support:

Commanders and leaders

Eduardo Mondlane (1962–69),

Joaquim Chissano (1962–75),

Filipe Samuel Magaia (1964–66),

Samora Machel (1969–75)

António Augusto dos Santos (1964–69),

Kaúlza de Arriaga (1969–74)

Strength

~10,000–15,000

50,000 on May 17, 1970

Casualties and losses

10,000–35,000 killed

3,500 killed

Civilian casualties:
~50,000 killed

The Mozambican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front or FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique), and Portugal. The war officially started on September 25, 1964, and ended with a ceasefire on September 8, 1974, resulting in a negotiated independence in 1975.

Portugal's wars against independence guerrilla fighters in its 400-year-old African territories began in 1961 with Angola. In Mozambique, the conflict erupted in 1964 as a result of unrest and frustration amongst many indigenous Mozambican populations, who perceived foreign rule to be a form of exploitation and mistreatment, which served only to further Portuguese economic interests in the region. Many Mozambicans also resented Portugal's policies towards indigenous people, which resulted in discrimination, traditional lifestyle turning difficult for many Africans, and limited access to Portuguese-style education and skilled employment.

As successful self-determination movements spread throughout Africa after World War II, many Mozambicans became progressively nationalistic in outlook, and increasingly frustrated by the nation's continued subservience to foreign rule. For the other side, many enculturated indigenous Africans who were fully integrated into the Portugal-ruled social organization of Portuguese Mozambique, in particular those from the urban centres, reacted to the independentist claims with a mixture of discomfort and suspicion. The ethnic Portuguese of the territory, which included most of the ruling authorities, responded with increased military presence and fast-paced development projects.

A mass exile of Mozambique's political intelligentsia to neighbouring countries provided havens from which radical Mozambicans could plan actions and foment political unrest in their homeland. The formation of the Mozambican guerrilla organisation FRELIMO and the support of the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Zambia, Egypt, Algeria and Gaddafi regime in Libya through arms and advisers, led to the outbreak of violence that was to last over a decade.

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