HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

RENAMO (from the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
, ) is a Mozambican political party and
militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
n
Central Intelligence Organisation The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) is the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe. It was conceived as the external intelligence-gathering arm of the British South Africa Police Special Branch in the early 1960s, under the Southern Rh ...
(CIO) in May 1977 from
anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
dissidents opposed to Mozambique's ruling
FRELIMO FRELIMO (; from the Portuguese , ) is a democratic socialist political party in Mozambique. It is the dominant party in Mozambique and has won a majority of the seats in the Assembly of the Republic in every election since the country's firs ...
party. RENAMO was initially led by
André Matsangaissa André Matsangaissa (also spelled Matsangaiza) (1950? – 17 October 1979) was a Mozambican anti-communist rebel and the first leader of the Rhodesian-backed Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). Born in Gorongosa, Mozambique, Matsangai ...
, a former senior official in FRELIMO's armed wing, and was composed of several anti-communist dissident groups which appeared immediately prior to, and shortly following, Mozambican independence. Matsangaissa, who died in 1979, was succeeded by
Afonso Dhlakama Afonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama (1 January 1953 – 3 May 2018) was a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla movement that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace ag ...
, who led the organization until his death in 2018. He was succeeded by
Ossufo Momade Ossufo Momade (born 30 January 1961) is a Mozambican politician. He has served as president of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), the main opposition party of Mozambique since January 17, 2019. He assumed the presidency of the party afte ...
. Critics of RENAMO frequently described the movement as a proxy of Rhodesia and latterly,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
's
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
government. It has been theorised that RENAMO was formed for the sole purpose of countering FRELIMO support for Rhodesian insurgent groups, namely the
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...
(ZANLA). On the other hand, RENAMO was also reflective of FRELIMO's own splintering support base and dwindling popularity in the immediate post-independence era. Its political programme centered around the abandonment of FRELIMO's socialist policies, the adoption of a free market economy, and more traditionalist concerns such as the reinstatement of tribal leaders to positions of authority. RENAMO's ranks included a number of Mozambican political exiles who genuinely opposed FRELIMO on principle, including FRELIMO defectors disillusioned with its Marxist–Leninist ideology, but also large numbers of recruits conscripted by force. With Rhodesian support, RENAMO commenced an insurgency against the FRELIMO government in 1977, sparking the
Mozambican Civil War The Mozambican Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Moçambicana) was a civil war fought in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992. Like many regional African conflicts during the late twentieth century, the Mozambican Civil War possessed local dynamics but was a ...
. The war was characterised by severe human rights violations on both sides and crippled the already debilitated Mozambican economy. RENAMO and FRELIMO acceded to the
Rome General Peace Accords The Rome General Peace Accords, officially the General Peace Accords (), was a peace treaty signed between the government of Mozambique and RENAMO, ending the Mozambican Civil War on October 4, 1992. Negotiations preceding the agreement began in ...
in October 1992, which ended FRELIMO's oneparty state and introduced multi-party democratic elections. In return, RENAMO pledged to abandon its armed struggle and conduct its future activities by political means within the framework of the new electoral system. Following the end of the war, RENAMO was responsible for promoting constitutional reforms as well as the promotion of a strong domestic private sector. Renewed clashes broke out between RENAMO's militant forces and the FRELIMO government in 2013. RENAMO resumed its insurgency, citing state corruption and electoral fraud perpetuated by FRELIMO officials. A second peace agreement was reached between RENAMO and FRELIMO in August 2019, resulting in the virtual end of the insurgency. A RENAMO splinter group known as the RENAMO Military Junta (RMJ) was quickly formed from party dissidents opposed to the peace process; the RMJ continued to carry out minor guerrilla operations until December 2021, when the last of its members surrendered to Mozambican security forces.


History


Independence and formation

From the early 1960s to the mid-1970s,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
fought a series of bitter counter-insurgency conflicts against independence movements in its three primary African colonies—
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
, Mozambique, and
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
. In Mozambique, the armed struggle against colonial rule was spearheaded by the
Front for the Liberation of Mozambique FRELIMO (; from the Portuguese language, Portuguese , ) is a democratic socialist List of political parties in Mozambique, political party in Mozambique. It is the Dominant-party system, dominant party in Mozambique and has won a majority of the ...
(FRELIMO), which was initially formed in exile in neighbouring
Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
. FRELIMO recruited from Mozambican migrant workers and intellectuals living abroad, where they had been exposed to the emerging popularity of anti-colonial and nationalist causes overseas. Its political programme was anti-colonial in nature, but also anti-traditionalist; FRELIMO leaders planned to wrest social and political power from the Portuguese administration, as well as on the grassroots level from local tribal authorities. The party also envisioned a radical restructuring of post-colonial Mozambican society in accordance with the principles of
scientific socialism Scientific socialism is a term coined in 1840 by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in his book ''What is Property?'' to mean a society ruled by a scientific government, i.e., one whose sovereignty rests upon reason, rather than sheer will: Thus, in a given ...
. In September 1964, FRELIMO initiated an armed insurgency. Its decision to take up arms was influenced by a number of internal and external factors, namely the recent successes of indigenous anti-colonial guerrilla movements in
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
and
French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
, as well as encouragement from contemporary African statesmen such as
Ahmed Ben Bella Ahmed Ben Bella ( ar, أحمد بن بلّة '; 25 December 1916 – 11 April 2012) was an Algerian politician, soldier and socialist revolutionary who served as the head of government of Algeria from 27 September 1962 to 15 September 1963 an ...
,
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
, and
Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, politician, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, aft ...
. FRELIMO insurgents initially received training primarily in North Africa and the Middle East in countries such as
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, with the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and People's Republic of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
providing military equipment. FRELIMO established a permanent foothold in underdeveloped northern Mozambique and began expanding its operations southwards, reaching the central provinces by 1973. Portugal responded with increasingly large scale
search and destroy Search and destroy, seek and destroy, or simply S&D is a military strategy best known for its employment in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. The strategy consists of inserting ground forces into hostile territory, ''search''ing out ...
operations and strengthening military and intelligence ties to the neighbouring states of
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, then ruled by white minority governments sympathetic to the colonial regime. FRELIMO, in turn, forged an informal alliance with a Rhodesian insurgent movement, the
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...
(ZANLA). ZANLA insurgents were permitted to infiltrate Rhodesian territory from FRELIMO-held areas of Mozambique, inexorably linking the Mozambican conflict to the
Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three for ...
. The 1974
Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...
and the collapse of Portugal's right-wing '' Estado Novo'' government plunged Lisbon into turmoil and brought to power a military junta known as the Armed Forces Movement. The Portuguese junta was committed to divesting itself of the colonies and ending the increasingly costly African wars. The resulting confusion among the metropole's military forces in Mozambique allowed FRELIMO to wrest control of large sections of the territory from the Portuguese. In the absence of Portuguese repression, a number of new Mozambican political parties, including some formed by FRELIMO splinter factions, appeared and began campaigning for support. Portugal announced it would initiate a political transition in Mozambique simultaneously with multi-party elections prior to independence, but FRELIMO condemned the proposal. The party's leadership, headed by
Samora Machel Samora Moisés Machel (29 September 1933 – 19 October 1986) was a Mozambican military commander and political leader. A socialist in the tradition of Marxism–Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the country's ...
, countered that it was the sole legitimate representative of the Mozambican people, and demanded it be permitted to take power directly, without multi-party elections. In early September 1974, Portugal announced it would comply with FRELIMO's request. Portuguese officials promised that after nine months, the positions of local government would be handed to FRELIMO appointees, and no elections would be held. The decision to effect a direct transfer of power to FRELIMO, without a local referendum or elections, was greeting with trepidation by South Africa and Rhodesia. It also resulted in an exodus of Portuguese settlers, FRELIMO dissidents, and indigenous troops who had served with Portuguese auxiliary units, including the elite
Flechas The Flechas (Portuguese for ''Arrows'') were a elite paramilitary tactical unit of the Portuguese secret police (PIDE, latter renamed DGS) that operated in Angola and Mozambique during the Portuguese Colonial War. Unlike most of the other Portugue ...
, fearing retribution under the new regime. Many of the new exiles fled to Rhodesia, where they were recruited as assets by the Rhodesian
Central Intelligence Organisation The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) is the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe. It was conceived as the external intelligence-gathering arm of the British South Africa Police Special Branch in the early 1960s, under the Southern Rh ...
(CIO). The most prominent anti-FRELIMO exile in Rhodesia was Orlando Cristina, a former member of the colonial security services in Mozambique who had served as a regional liaison with the Rhodesian government. Cristina set up a Portuguese-language radio broadcasting station, known as ''Voz da Africa Livre'', which broadcast anti-communist and anti-FRELIMO messages into Mozambique. Cristina's broadcasts called attention to human rights violations committed by FRELIMO, including the detention of party dissidents, and accused FRELIMO of betraying Mozambican nationalism by pandering to the Marxist ideology of the Soviet Union. The CIO hoped to use ''Voz da Africa Livre'' to recruit disaffected Mozambicans for an anti-FRELIMO paramilitary force. One such recruit was
André Matsangaissa André Matsangaissa (also spelled Matsangaiza) (1950? – 17 October 1979) was a Mozambican anti-communist rebel and the first leader of the Rhodesian-backed Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). Born in Gorongosa, Mozambique, Matsangai ...
, a former FRELIMO official who had been imprisoned by the party in a re-education camp following the transfer of power; Matsangaissa had subsequently escaped to Rhodesia and was familiar with Cristina's broadcasts. Matsangaissa met with Cristina and argued that hostile radio messages alone could not change the political situation in Mozambique; armed struggle was necessary. Shortly thereafter, the CIO recruited Matsangaissa as the leader for its new anti-FRELIMO force. The militants received guerrilla training from the CIO and were infiltrated back into Mozambique, where they conducted surveillance of ZANLA movements at the Rhodesians' behest. In February 1977, the unit demonstrated its ability to carry out autonomous operations when it stormed a FRELIMO re-education camp in
Sofala Province Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census). Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of Sofala which is to the south. History Portuguese landholder and imperialist Joaquim Carl ...
, freeing the detainees there. During a meeting at Cristina's home in May 1977, the unit's leadership formally adopted the title ''Resistência Nacional Moçambicana'' (RENAMO).


Later activity

RENAMO unified with another rebel group, the
Revolutionary Party of Mozambique , war = , image = , caption = , active = 1974/76–1982 , ideology = Anti-communismFreedom of religionDemocracy , position = , leaders = * Amos Sumane * Gimo Phiri , ...
(PRM) in 1982. As result of this merger, the rebel group was able to expand its operations in northern Mozambique, particularly in
Zambezia Province Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 cen ...
. In 1984 the South African and Mozambican governments signed the
Nkomati Accord The Nkomati Accord (officially known as the ''Agreement on Non-Aggression and Good Neighbourliness between Mozambique and South Africa'' ) was a non-aggression pact signed on 16 March 1984 between the People's Republic of Mozambique and the Rep ...
, in which the South African National Party minority regime promised to stop sponsoring RENAMO operations if the Mozambican government expelled exiled members of the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC) residing there. This was consistent with the Total National Strategy pursued by the National Party regime, utilizing threats of military reprisals to force Mozambique into subjugation under the
Afrikaner nationalists Afrikaner nationalism ( af, Afrikanernasionalisme) is a nationalistic political ideology which created by Afrikaners residing in Southern Africa during the Victorian era. The ideology was developed in response to the significant events in Afri ...
hegemonial ambitions in the region. In 1988, RENAMO experienced its only major split during the civil war, when former PRM commander Gimo Phiri broke off and founded an independent insurgent group known as Mozambican National Union (UNAMO). While the Mozambican government did shut down the local ANC offices and its operations in accordance with the Nkomati Accord, the National Party government of South Africa continued funnelling financial and military resources to RENAMO. A permanent
peace accord A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a ...
was reached only in 1992, monitored by the United Nations Operation in Mozambique ( UNOMOZ) until its finalisation in 1994. This process went on simultaneously to the
negotiations Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement ...
between the National Party minority government and the ANC about the termination of Apartheid policies and the transformation to a democratic dispensation in South Africa. The South African National Intelligence Service initiated the
Operation Bush Talk Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, which was designed to phase out the National Party's longstanding substantial support to RENAMO and allow their proxy to accommodate to the new regional realities. The peace accord led to the disarmament of RENAMO, to the integration of some of its fighters into the Mozambican army and to its transformation into a regular political party. It is now the main opposition party in Mozambique. At the
legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
on 1 and 2 December 2004, the party was the main part of the
Renamo-UE The RENAMO-Electoral Union (''RENAMO-União Electoral'') is an alliance of political parties in Mozambique, led by the Mozambican National Resistance (''Resistência Nacional Moçambicana'') of Afonso Dhlakama. In the parliamentary election held ...
electoral alliance, that won 29.7% of the popular vote and 90 out of 250 seats. The presidential candidate of this alliance,
Afonso Dhlakama Afonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama (1 January 1953 – 3 May 2018) was a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla movement that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace ag ...
, won 31.7% of the popular vote.
Raul Domingos Raul Domingos is a Mozambican politician who was part of RENAMO until being thrown out on 7 July 2000. At the time, he had been considered the most likely successor to party leader Afonso Dhlakama. From 1994 to 1999, Domingos was head of the Renam ...
, negotiator at the
Rome General Peace Accords The Rome General Peace Accords, officially the General Peace Accords (), was a peace treaty signed between the government of Mozambique and RENAMO, ending the Mozambican Civil War on October 4, 1992. Negotiations preceding the agreement began in ...
and RENAMO's leader in parliament from 1994 to 1999, was expelled from the party in 2000, and in 2003, founded the
Party for Peace, Democracy, and Development A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
.


Activities in Zimbabwe

RENAMO forces attacked an army base in
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
near Mukosa on 17 June 1987, killing seven soldiers and wounding 19. RENAMO attacked the Katiyo Tea Estate, destroying valuable property, in July and killed three men in Rushinga in August.Audrey Kalley, Jacqueline. ''Southern African Political History: a chronological of key political events from independence to Mid-1997'', 1999. Page 739. On 30 November, RENAMO militants burned down 13 houses.Audrey Kalley, Jacqueline. ''Southern African Political History: a chronological of key political events from independence to Mid-1997'', 1999. Page 742. Between December 1987 and 21 January 1988 RENAMO performed 101 attacks near the Mozambique-Zimbabwe border. Following the end of the Mozambican Civil War, RENAMO remained linked to a Zimbabwean militant group,
Chimwenje Chimwenje was a Zimbabwean militant organisation based in Manica Province, Mozambique. Its leader was Armando Mabache. The movement allegedly enjoyed a close association with RENAMO, a right-wing Mozambican political party and former insurgent force ...
.


International dimension and Human Rights record

Apart from their primary supporters, initially the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation until 1979 and afterwards, the South African Directorate of Special Tasks (DST), RENAMO also enjoyed some level of international recognition, support and funding. Chester Crocker, then the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the US State Department, viewed RENAMO as "African Khmer Rouge". While RENAMO styled itself as "anti-communist", its atrocious conduct and lack of political legitimacy made the organisation unsuitable as a partner, since it jeopardised the State Department attempts to gain rapport with the FRELIMO government and the Mozambican population, in order to decrease the Eastern Bloc's influence on the region. Contrary to that stance stood the active engagement of the far-right
Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
for the cause of RENAMO. West German academic Andre Thomashausen and his mentor Werner Kaltefleiter served as vital links between West German rightwing conservative, anti-socialist political circles and RENAMO. Thomashausen is alleged to have had close links to both the West German and apartheid South African intelligence services, while being officially employed as a professor at the University of South Africa and in various managerial positions (in particular for West German corporations engaged in the apartheid economy) since 1982, when he moved to South Africa and immediately was granted citizenship by the National Party minority government. Thomashausen acted as a confidante and an advisor to the RENAMO leadership. A related network of West German RENAMO lobbyists evolved around Bavarian Prime Minister and leader of the conservative CSU party
Franz Josef Strauss Franz Josef Strauss ( ; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician. He was the long-time chairman of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) from 1961 until 1988, member of the federal cabinet in different positions betwee ...
. The provincial leader engaged in his own far right foreign policy in support of apartheid and anti-socialist paramilitary forces in Southern Africa, thereby undermining the official
Détente Détente (, French: "relaxation") is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication. The term, in diplomacy, originates from around 1912, when France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to reduce ...
foreign policy of the West German federal government. RENAMO conduct has frequently been described by western authors as amounting to
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
, especially since it usually involved attacks against defenseless civilians. The forcible recruitment of kidnapped villagers, including underage children, formed RENAMO's main modus operandi to increase its membership. This often included the murder of close relatives of the kidnapped persons, so that they had no way of returning to their communities.The organisation also engaged in atrocious, publicly staged ritual killings of perceived traitors and dissidents.


Renewed clashes

In October 2012, RENAMO's headquarters were relocated near Casa Banana (also named Sathunjira, RENAMO's former guerrilla base in the 1980s) in
Gorongosa Gorongosa is a town and the administrative center of Gorongosa District of Mozambique, situated on the country's main north-south highway (the EN1). Mount Gorongosa is north of the town, and Gorongosa National Park Gorongosa National Park is at ...
, where a training camp was set up for around 800 partially armed followers. Previously, the headquarters had been moved from
Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...
to
Nampula Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approxi ...
in 2009. RENAMO leader Afonso Dhlakama threatened to "destroy the country" if his political demands were not met. On 4 April 2013, one woman and four police officers were killed, with ten policemen more injured in a RENAMO attack on a police station in the town of Muxengue. The leader of the attackers was also killed. RENAMO's security chief stated that the action was a response to previous police raids on RENAMO gatherings. Around 300 RENAMO members had remained armed since the 1992 peace deal, despite efforts to integrate them into the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
or police. On 6 April 2013, two or three civilians were killed and two women were injured when alleged RENAMO militiamen attacked a truck and a bus in Chibabava District. RENAMO denied being involved in the attack. On 21 June, suspected RENAMO guerrillas attacked a bus in Machanga,
Sofala Province Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census). Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of Sofala which is to the south. History Portuguese landholder and imperialist Joaquim Carl ...
, injuring an elderly woman. The incident happened two days after RENAMO threatened to paralyse key roads and the only
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
export train to force the FRELIMO government to renegotiate peace terms. On 17 October, suspected RENAMO guerrillas ambushed a military patrol near
Gorongosa Gorongosa is a town and the administrative center of Gorongosa District of Mozambique, situated on the country's main north-south highway (the EN1). Mount Gorongosa is north of the town, and Gorongosa National Park Gorongosa National Park is at ...
, RENAMO's stronghold, killing seven soldiers, according to local media. On 18 October, another clash between Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) and RENAMO militiamen took place in Mucodza, seven kilometres away from Gorongosa. National director of defence policy in the Ministry of Defence,
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Cristovao Chume, claimed that the soldiers suffered no losses and that a RENAMO fighter was injured and captured by their forces. RENAMO leader Dhlakama claimed that no RENAMO fighters were killed on the attack, which, according to him, was started by the Army, and that the casualties had been suffered by the FADM. However, reporters confirmed that the bodies of two RENAMO fighters were in the local morgue of Gorongosa. On 21 October, FADM forces captured Sathunjira base after several days of combat. RENAMO spokesman Fernando Mazanga claimed that the government forces had shelled the base with heavy weapons (artillery), and that Afonso Dhlakama had fled the base. A RENAMO statement said that the capture of the base puts an end to the 1992 peace deal. RENAMO announced that MP Armindo Milaco was killed in the government raid. On 22 October, gunmen attacked a police station in
Maringué District Maringué District is a Districts of Mozambique, district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Maringué. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Chemba District in the north, Caia District in the ...
in apparent retaliation, with no casualties reported. On 26 October, alleged RENAMO fighters attacked civilian vehicles in the main north–south highway near Beira, killing one and injuring 10 people. RENAMO denied its implication in the attack.


2014 peace process

On 5 September 2014 Dhlakama and president Guebuza signed a peace deal in an effort to end the two-year period of instability. The deal included integration of RENAMO forces into the army and a reform of the election oversight commission. However, after RENAMO's refusal to accept the 2014 presidential elections, problems in the implementation of the peace deal and after continued efforts by government forces to disarm RENAMO met resistance, Dhlakama broke off the peace process in August 2015. Since then there have been renewed clashes between government and RENAMO forces. Dhlakama claims there have been two attempts by the government to assassinate him.


2017 truce

In May 2017, RENAMO agreed to extend their truce indefinitely.


Death of Dhlakama and its impact

On 3 May 2018,
Afonso Dhlakama Afonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama (1 January 1953 – 3 May 2018) was a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla movement that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace ag ...
, who led RENAMO since 1979, died in Gorongosa after suffering a heart attack. An unnamed official in RENAMO acknowledged this and also stated that Dhlakma had been ill prior to his death. Regarding the future of RENAMO following Dhlakma's death, Ed Hobey Hamsher, an analyst with Maplecroft, stated that "no potential successor has Dhlakama's stature" and that anybody who succeeds him "will struggle to unify Renamo's factions." At the time of Dhlakma's death, the RENAMO Congress was unable to fix a date to vote on a successor. The next month on 14 June 2018, Ossufo Momade, who was picked to serve as the interim leader of RENAMO until the organization's Congress could vote on a permanent successor to Dhlakma, went into hiding.


Peace deal reached between RENAMO and Mozambique government

On 1 August 2019, Mozambique President
Filipe Nyusi Filipe Jacinto Nyusi (; born 12 February 1959) is a Mozambican politician serving as the fourth President of Mozambique since 2015. He is the current leader of FRELIMO, the party that has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portug ...
and RENAMO leader
Ossufo Momade Ossufo Momade (born 30 January 1961) is a Mozambican politician. He has served as president of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), the main opposition party of Mozambique since January 17, 2019. He assumed the presidency of the party afte ...
signed a peace agreement bringing an end to the six-year period of armed clashes. They also shook hands and embraced each other as well. The signing of the peace took place at RENAMO's remote military base in the Gorongosa mountains. After the agreement was signed, the last remaining RENAMO fighters surrendered their weapons. Momade told the Associated Press "We will no longer commit the mistakes of the past." He also stated "We are for a humanized and dignified reintegration and we want the international community to help make that a reality." During another signing which took in Maputo's peace square, Momade declared the group would focus to "maintain peace and national reconciliation."


Electoral history


Presidential elections


Assembly elections


Former RENAMO flags

File:Flag of RENAMO.svg, First flag of RENAMO File:Flag of RENAMO (Variant).svg, Second flag of RENAMO


See also

* Heads of the National Resistance Government of Mozambique


References


Works cited

* *


Further reading

*


External links

* *
Special Report on Mozambique 2004 Elections by the Carter CenterFinal Report of the European Union Election Observation MissionMain RENAMO Policy Guidelines 2004 (pdf)Mozambique-US Relations during Cold War
from th
Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renamo Anti-communist organizations History of Mozambique History of Zimbabwe Law enforcement in Rhodesia Military history of Mozambique Political parties in Mozambique