Cold War Influence on the Civil War in Mozambique
TITLE
Assess the extent to which Cold War tensions influenced the civil war in Mozambique.
ESSAY
The civil war in Mozambique, which began in 1977, was heavily influenced by Cold War tensions that permeated the global political landscape at the time. The struggle for power and influence between the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, spilled over into African territories like Mozambique, exacerbating existing conflicts and shaping the trajectory of the civil war.
Mozambique's struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975 coincided with the height of the Cold War. The Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO), led by President Machel, adopted a Marxist-Leninist system which aligned it with the Soviet Union. This ideological alignment drew support from the Soviets, who provided military advisers and weapons in exchange for strategic benefits, such as access to ports and support for Soviet-backed insurgents.
On the other hand, the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) was initially created by white minority rulers in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, as a counterforce to FRELIMO's socialist regime. RENAMO received backing from anti-communist forces, including South Africa and the United States, who sought to undermine FRELIMO's socialist government and prevent the spread of communism in the region.
The involvement of external actors in supporting FRELIMO and RENAMO escalated the conflict in Mozambique, as these factions became proxies in the broader Cold War struggle. South Africa, in particular, saw a thriving African regime in Mozambique as a threat to its apartheid regime and supported RENAMO in its efforts to destabilize the country. This external support prolonged the civil war and exacerbated the suffering of the Mozambican people, who bore the brunt of the conflict through brutal tactics and atrocities committed by both sides.
Despite the Cold War dynamics at play, there were also attempts at diplomatic solutions to the conflict. The signing of the Nkomati Accord in 1984 between Mozambique and South Africa, under the leadership of Presidents Machel and Reagan, aimed to address the destabilizing influence of RENAMO and pave the way for peace in the region. However, the continued support of right-wing elements within South Africa and the shifting geopolitical landscape with the end of the Cold War complicated efforts to resolve the conflict.
Ultimately, it was external developments, such as the transition to majority rule in South Africa and the collapse of the Soviet Union, that paved the way for a resolution to the civil war in Mozambique. The adoption of a new constitution in 1990 and the signing of a peace accord in 1992 marked the end of the conflict and allowed for the entry of UN peacekeepers to help stabilize the country.
In conclusion, Cold War tensions significantly influenced the civil war in Mozambique by shaping the allegiances and actions of external actors supporting FRELIMO and RENAMO. The proxy nature of the conflict exacerbated the violence and suffering experienced by the Mozambican people, but the shifting global dynamics ultimately played a pivotal role in bringing about an end to the war and paving the way for peace and reconciliation in the country.
SUBJECT
HISTORY
PAPER
A LEVEL
NOTES
Assess the extent to which Cold War tensions influenced the civil war in Mozambique.
Indicative content:
The civil war began in 1977, two years after Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal. Mozambican nationalism became intertwined with the politics of the region and the Cold War. External interests - American, Soviet, Cuban, South African, Rhodesian - sought to advance their own agenda and future vision of the country.
The Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) led by President Machel controlled the central government and was strongest in the cities and major towns while the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) operated mainly in the countryside. FRELIMO adopted a Marxist-Leninist one-party-state system which RENAMO was opposed to.
Mozambique was surrounded by two white minority governments in Rhodesia and South Africa who did not want to co-exist with a country that was prepared to support independence struggles in their own countries. RENAMO was first created by Ian Smith's white minority rulers in Southern Rhodesia. Robert Mugabe and African freedom fighters used areas within Mozambique as staging grounds for attacks against Smith's white minority regime. Southern Rhodesia's army supported a civil war that would turn Africans against each other. The apartheid regime of South Africa feared a thriving African regime next door in Mozambique would undermine its argument that Africans were incapable of self-rule.
It used RENAMO to deliberately discredit the regime. As the war continued both sides began using brutal tactics including land mines. RENAMO however attempted to decimate the country and its people by burning cooperative farms, destroying infrastructure, killing doctors and teachers who worked with FRELIMO, and destroying schools. Its Rhodesian and South African controllers wanted to show Mozambican peasants that FRELIMO could not protect them.
Mozambique became one of Moscow's closest allies in Africa. In 1977 a 20-year Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed with the Soviet Union. In return for military advisers and Soviet weapons, FRELIMO, gave the Soviet navy access to ports and supported Soviet-backed insurgents. Some Western nations, including the United States, provided funding for RENAMO, in opposition to the socialist FRELIMO, thus making it an area of Cold war tension. However, President Machel met President Reagan in the early 1980s; Reagan was impressed with him and he ordered the United States to oppose right-wing efforts within South Africa to overthrow him. Mozambique became an exception to Reagan's ‘constructive engagement’ policy that normally supported the white minority apartheid regime in South Africa and its efforts to influence politics in its surrounding area.
Machel and South Africa signed the Nkomati Accord in 1984. Machel pledged to oust ANC militants from Mozambique and South Africa promised to stop arming, training, and funding RENAMO. Right-wing South African soldiers never intended to honour this agreement and the United States dropped its ban on bilateral aid to help Machel. Joachim Chissano became president in 1986 after Machel’s death.
By 1990, neither side seemed to be winning the war. Developments outside Mozambique, however, would soon bring an end to the fighting. By 1990 South Africa was moving toward a black majority-controlled nation and the Soviet Union had fallen. FRELIMO and RENAMO were losing their major supporters and arms suppliers. In 1990, Mozambique adopted a new constitution that included multiparty elections. In 1992, a peace accord was signed in Rome which allowed UN peacekeepers to enter the country.