ABSTRACT
The Liberation Front of Mozambique (known as Frelimo, its Portuguese acronym) fought a decadelong war against Portuguese colonists and the Portuguese military from 1964 to 1974. Though the guerrilla force had made some headway, particularly in the more remote central and northern regions of the country, it had been unable to defeat the Portuguese militarily. The war’s drain on the Portuguese treasury and the unrest it was causing among the Portuguese people led to a coup against the rightwing dictatorship in Lisbon. Among the first decisions made by the leftist coup leaders was to rid Portugal of its overseas possessions as quickly as possible.
