ABSTRACT
Joaquim Chissano and Afonso Dhlakama led opposing groups in a brutal civil war that divided Mozambique for sixteen years. Chissano was a founding member of the Mozambique Liberation Front and Dhlakama of the Mozambique National Resistance. Newly independent Mozambique began life in a fragile condition. Portugal had done little to develop the country. Most Mozambicans were illiterate; they had gained little economic or administrative experience under the Portuguese. Regional economic and political stakes in Mozambique were too high. Access to Mozambique's transport corridors and seaports was economically vital to a number of its landlocked neighbors. In 1977, the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organization formed Renamo to lead the struggle against the government of Mozambique. The civil war grew in intensity, imposing ever greater costs on all concerned. At the same time, the African National Congress (ANC) benefitted from Mozambique government support in its struggle against minority rule in South Africa.
