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Mozambique Civil War

Definition

The Mozambique Civil War was a conflict that occurred in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992. It was fought between the government of Mozambique and the anti-communist organization, RENAMO (Mozambican National Resistance).

Analogy

Think of this like a long, intense game of tug-of-war where both sides are pulling with all their might for control over the rope (or in this case, the country). This struggle lasted for about 15 years before they finally decided to let go and make peace.

Related terms

FRELIMO: The ruling party in Mozambique since its independence in 1975. They were initially a socialist party that had support from Soviet Union during the civil war.

RENAMO: An anti-communist rebel group supported by Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa during the civil war.

Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its satellite states) and powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others). The Cold War influenced many conflicts around the world including Mozambique's civil war.