Mozambique: rise of the phoenix?

This brief report describes recent events in Mozambique. The war that erupted in 1980 wrecked the country’s infrastructure and economy. Combined with natural disasters, declining food production, and Renamo’s destruction of the infrastructure, the Frelimo government were forced to reconsider its Marxist-Leninist policies, and Renamo and Frelimo came to accept the possibility of a negotiated settlement. 1988 and 1989 saw the beginning of an international initiative the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom to persuade the warring parties to end the conflict. In March 1989 Frelimo presented a position paper on ending the war to the UN’s Security Council, and Renamo accepted the conditions for talks. Given the constructive involvement of foreign countries, the establishment of a powerful mediator team, the role of the churches in Mozambique, and President Chissano’s pragmatism, there is a good chance that the peace process will continue and the next stage is for negotiations to take place. Problems still remain but a return to war seems unlikely