Why Portuguese colonies achieved Independence through armed struggle?

DECOLONIZATION THROUGH ARMED STRUGGLE


Armed struggle is the struggle for freedom through the use of arms and is based on the struggle for political independence in Africa countries. In Africa armed struggle was employed by many of the settler and the former Portuguese colonies.


Why Portuguese colonies achieved Independence through armed struggle?

• Portugal had three colonies in Africa namely, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau and Angola and these entire colonies attained independence through armed struggle due to the following reasons;

• Denial of the basic social services such as health and education to Africans. Many people in Portuguese colonies had no education and access to other social services. Example Out of 7827 school learners only 636 was Africans. Also out of 321 students in Universities only 4 were Africans. Therefore it was estimated that more than 85% of Africans were illiterate. This also made Africans to resort to the use of armed struggle in order to remove the exploiter in their land.

• Disunity among the Africans in the sense that nationalistic leaders as in case of Angola where MPLA led by Augustino Netto, UNITA by Jonas Savimbi and FNLA of Holden Roberto were all fighting for nationalism.

• Portuguese was a semi- colony of British. The Portuguese being poor were under the control of British who had asked on exploiting of agricultural and minerals raw materials. The imperialist’s manpower supported the Portuguese to strengthen their root in the colonies hence to uproot them was only through armed struggle.

• The colonial economic grievances. African was against land alienation, forced labour, racial discrimination etc. so they wanted to send back Portuguese to their home.

• Assassination of the nationalistic leaders such as Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique. This also catalyzed the fighting against the Portuguese.

• Presence of many settlers, Portuguese colonies had so many settlers who controlled the sphere of life of Africans. This created difficult condition for peaceful means to take place.

Decolonization through Armed struggle in Mozambique

• Mozambique like any other African countries began the struggle for justice in 1920's and they started with Elite Associations. In 1920's the Gremio Africanas Association for Secondary School Students and African Association were founded which faced strong resistance from the Portuguese power. It was not until 1960's that the Africans in Mozambique under Portuguese rule managed to form nationalistic political organization including;

• National Democratic Union of Mozambique (UDENAMO) formed in 1960 in Southern Rhodesia.

• The Mozambique African National Union (MANU) formed in Kenya in 1961, and

• African Union of Independent Mozambique (UNAMI) formed in 1961 in Nyasaland (Malawi)

• These all parties operated outside Mozambique because it was been banned and there was no way out and in 1961 they shifted their headquarter to Dar es Salaam. In 1962, a group of exile Mozambicans met in Dar es Salaam and merged their parties to form one party called Front for Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) under Eduardo Mondlane who was assassinated in 1969 with a Parcel bombs while in Da es Salaam.

Strategies used by Portuguese colonial state to weaken the FRELIMO struggle.
a) They terrorized villages hoping that they would stop supporting guerrilla fighters, Villagers were evicted from villages and concentrated into camps.

b) Destruction of farms and crops.

c) Burning of houses in villages

d) Massacre of people.

e) Assassination of key leaders of the struggle for independence i.e Eduardo Mondlane




Even though the Portuguese weakened FRELIMO but the party concentrated its attacks in strategic areas like in settler farms, railways lines, power installations and Portuguese military posts. By 1974 FRELIMO already had one-third control of Mozambique; this declined Portuguese morale to fight as FRELIMO proved its strength toward them.




Challenges that faced FRELIMO during the independence struggle.

• Internal division within the movement. Some members at a certain point thought that it was better to compromise with the Portuguese i.e. Vice president of FRELIMO, Urina Simango and Lazaro Korindame who joined the Portuguese government.

• The biggest church in Mozambique, the Catholic church supported the Portuguese and condemned FRELIMO

• Opposition from the Revolutionary Committee of Mozambique (COREMO). This part broke away from FRELIMO because FRELIMO growing socialist learning.

• Assassination of Eduardo Mondlane weakened the FRELIMO.

• In 15th June 1975 Mozambique became independent under President SamoraMachel due to peace talk held in Lusaka Zambia in 1974.