The Nkomati Accord (officially known as the ''Agreement on Non-Aggression and Good Neighbourliness between Mozambique and South Africa'' ) was a

non-aggression pact A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a tr ...

signed on 16 March 1984 between the

People's Republic of Mozambique The People's Republic of Mozambique (Portuguese: ''República Popular de Moçambique'') was a socialist state that existed in present day Mozambique from 1975 to 1990. The People's Republic of Mozambique was established when the country gained ...

and the Republic of South Africa. The event took place at the South African town of

Komatipoort Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger Park, and just 5 km from the Mozambique border ...

with the signatories being President of Mozambique

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 ...

and Prime Minister of South Africa P.W. Botha. The treaty's stated focus was on preventing Mozambique from supporting the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

to undertake violent actions in South Africa, and for South Africa to stop supplying the

RENAMO RENAMO (from the Portuguese , ) is a Mozambican political party and militant group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in May 1977 from anti-communist dissidents oppose ...

movement in Mozambique. The treaty was met with disapproval from members of the SADCC and particularly from the

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

who were aware of the impacts it would have on their liberation struggle. Despite this both groups acknowledged that Mozambique had essentially been forced into signing the treaty as the country was on the brink of destruction due to the conflict with the South-African backed RENAMO rebels. Mozambique stood by its side of the Treaty and expelled ANC members from the south of the country, meanwhile the South Africans ignored the deal and stepped up their already extensive support to RENAMO. Captured documents from the main Gorongosa base in 1985 revealed that the South Africans had continued their support in violation of the accord.Jacklyn Cock and Laurie Nathan, "War and Society: The Militarisation of South Africa", David Phillip, 1989 A permanent peace accord, 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 ...

, finally ended 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 ...

in 1992 and was supervised by the United Nations' ONUMOZ force until 1994.

References

* Msabaha, Ibrahim S. R., and Shaw, Timothy M (eds). ''Confrontation and Liberation in Southern Africa: Regional Directions after the Nkomati Accord'' (Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1987).
Text of the Nkomati Accord and analysis of the peace process

External links

Full text of the Nkomati AccordText of all peace accords for Mozambique
1984 in Mozambique 1984 in South Africa Events associated with apartheid Cold War treaties Treaties of the People's Republic of Mozambique Treaties concluded in 1984 Treaties of South Africa Mozambique–South Africa relations Non-aggression pacts 1984 in South African law {{Apartheid-sa-stub