History of mozambique

Initially, Mozambique was inhabited by tribes of Bushmen and Hottentots , engaged in hunting and gathering. In the 5th — 9th centuries, the Bantu tribes came.

From the eighth century, Arabs began to penetrate into East Africa, creating many trading posts on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Arabs exported gold , ivory , animal skins.

By the middle of the 15th century in the middle part of present-day Mozambique (between the Zambezi and Savi rivers, as well as in the east of present-day Zimbabwe ), the early feudal state of Monomotope emerged.

In 1498, a Portuguese expedition headed for India under the command of Vasco da Gama visited the territory of Mozambique. At the beginning of the XVI century, the Portuguese began to develop the coast of East Africa. In 1505, they built a fort in Sofal , in 1508 - a fortress on the island of Mozambique , in the 1530s - forts of Seine and Tete on the banks of the Zambezi River .

In 1558, the fort of San Sebastian was founded on the island of Mozambique, where ships sailing to or from India stopped and expeditions set off in search of gold. Until 1572, the governor of the Indian colony of Goa ruled the territory of Portuguese East Africa.

In 1607, the ruler of Monomotapas, in which the separatist tendencies of the local leaders arose, signed with the Portuguese an agreement on the cession of gold and silver mines to them in exchange for weapons and support in the fight against rebellious vassals.

Although the Portuguese influence in the region expanded, power rested on individual settlers who had significant autonomy . Portugal paid more attention to more profitable trade with India and Southeast Asia , as well as the colonization of Brazil .

In 1752, the Portuguese possessions in East Africa were officially declared a colony of Mozambique. Anti-colonial speeches were tightly suppressed, especially in the 1890s, when the colonial administration was led by António Enes and Joaquim Augusta Mousinho .

After the UK outlawed the slave trade in the Atlantic in 1807 ( en: Slave Trade Act 1807 ), the Royal Navy began to patrol the waters of West Africa ( en: West Africa Squadron ) to ensure the so-called “blockade of Africa” ( en: Blockade of Africa ), Mozambique, a previously minor source of commerce, became a very important source of slave supplies to Brazil in the 19th century, attracting captives from the vast territory of East Africa, including Madagascar Island ^{[1] [2]} .

By the beginning of the 20th century, Portugal ceded control of large areas of its colony to three private British companies: the Companies of Mozambique, the Zambezi Companies and the Niassa Companies. These companies built railways that linked Mozambique with the neighboring colonies of Great Britain , and provided supplies of cheap labor to plantations and mines in the countries of the region.

After World War II, Portugal did not follow the example of other European countries and did not grant independence to its colonies. They were declared "overseas territories", they continued to migrate from the metropolis . In the context of the decolonization of most countries of the continent and the growing influence of national liberation movements on the international scene in the Portuguese possessions, political consolidation of the regime’s opponents began. In 1962, several anti-colonial political groups united in the Liberation Front of Mozambique ( FRELIMO ), which in September 1964 initiated an armed struggle against the Portuguese colonial government. From the very beginning, the front maintained close contact with the rebel groups in Angola ( MPLA ) and Guinea-Bissau ( PAIGC ).

FRELIMO , relying on the bases in Tanzania and the support of the USSR and China , led active hostilities in the northern regions of the country and was able to hold party congresses in the territory under its control, however, in general, military experts assess the outcome of the confrontation by the mid-70s as a draw.

After the armed coup in Portugal, known as the Carnation Revolution , Mozambique gained independence on June 25, 1975 . The Marxist FRELIMO headed by the first President of Mozambique, Zamora Machel, renamed the country into the People’s Republic of Mozambique , established a one-party system with a focus on the countries of the socialist camp , disbanded religious schools, dismantled the traditional management system based on the leaders, introduced a planned economy , accompanied by a major process. poorly thought out agrarian reform and the expulsion of almost all Portuguese settlers , thereby depriving the new country almost the entire body valifitsirovannyh specialists. The National People’s Security Service headed by General Jasintu Veloso (Portuguese military pilot who went to the FRELIMO side in 1963) carried out massive political repressions (among the victims of which were former prominent figures of FRELIMO, including First Vice-Chairman of the Front Uria Simango ).

With the support of Southern Rhodesia and South Africa, armed opposition was formed in the country against the regime led by Andre Matsangissa , Orland Kristina and Afonso Dlakama . The right-wing rebel movement was called the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). In its ideology, RENAMO combined traditional African values ​​and pro-Western orientation. In 1977, a civil war began , which was accompanied by significant civilian casualties, extensive damage to infrastructure, and the migration of a large number of refugees.

On March 16, 1984, President Zamora Machel signed an agreement on "non-aggression and good-neighborliness" with South African Prime Minister Peter Botha . The Nkomati Treaty provided, in addition to mutual non-aggression, the failure to provide its territory for subversive activities against any of the contracting parties for a period of 10 years. However, hostilities ended only in 1992 , when the new President Joachim Chissano declared FRELIMO’s rejection of Marxism-Leninism and the transition of Mozambique to multi-party democracy.

After the signing of the peace treaty, RENAMO became a legal political party. Mozambican political life is based on the opposition of FRELIMO and RENAMO. Afonso Dlakam five times ran for president, but always lost to FRELIMO candidates - Joaquim Chissano, Armand Guebuze , Philipe Newsy . However, RENAMO has a large parliamentary faction and maintains armed groups. FRELIMO and RENAMO rely heavily on the various regional and ethnic groups in the country. After the death of Afonso Dlakam in May 2018, Osufo Momad became the new leader of RENAMO.

Despite the achievements of the economy noted by the international community, Mozambique continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world. Under these conditions, FRELIMO established a one-party system with a country-oriented socialist camp , disbanded religious schools, dismantled the traditional control system based on the leaders, introduced a planned economy , which was accompanied by large-scale nationalization, poorly designed agrarian reform and the expulsion of all Portuguese settlers, and new country almost the entire body of qualified professionals. With the support of Southern Rhodesia and South Africa, an armed opposition to the regime was formed in the country, a civil war began , which was accompanied by considerable casualties among the civilian population, extensive damage to infrastructure, and migration by a large number of refugees. Military actions were completed only in 1992 , after a change in the political picture of the region.

After the signing of a peace treaty and the transition of the opposition to the political space in Mozambique, there is a struggle between the former antagonists of the civil war, and now the giants of the political scene - FRELIMO and RENAMO, relying largely on the largest ethnic groups in the country; RENAMO draws support in the north, their opponents in the south. FRELIMO invariably wins parliamentary and presidential elections.

In 2017, Islamic terror intensified in the province of Cabo Delgado , which led to a series of armed clashes .

Despite the achievements of the economy noted by the international community, Mozambique continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world.