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Mozambique
Mozambique is situated on the Eastern coast of Africa, has a total land area of 784,000 square kilometers and is bathed by the Indian Ocean along the 2,470 kilometers of its coastline.
Located between Tanzania to the North and South Africa to the South, Mozambique also has borders with Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A civil war between Frelimo (Mozambique Liberation Front), of Marxist orientation, and pro-Western Renamo, transformed a rural country into an urban and coastal country, with much of the population fleeing from the countryside in search of refuge from the soldiers of both factions.
Mozambique was colonized by the Portuguese from the 16th Century and gained its independence in 1975 after a guerilla war that lasted 10 years. The Marxist position of its leaders, with purges and so-called re-education camps, led to the creation of Renamo (National Mozambique Resistance) and the beginning of the civil war that ended only in 1992.
By 1989, Frelimo had abandoned its Marxist line and adopted a market economy and multi-party democracy. Joaquim Chissano, the second president of Mozambique after Samora Machel, gave up his place after 18 years leading the country and the latest elections saw the victory of the Frelimo candidate.
With an estimated population of 19.4 million people, the average life expectancy is little over 40 years, while infant mortality stands at 130 deaths for every 1,000 births. As well as this, 12.2 percent of the Mozambique population is infected with the AIDS virus, which in 2003 added 110,000 people to the annual death toll.
The most recent presidential elections carried out in December 2004, gave victory to Frelimo and its candidate Armando Guebuza with 63.7 percent of the vote. The Renamo leader, Afonso Dhlakama, had just 31.7 percent of the ballots in his favor. The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2009. In Mozambique it is the president who nominates the Government, which is currently led by Luísa Diogo.
After independence in 1975, Mozambique was already one of the poorest countries in the world. Decades of bad management and the civil war in 1977-92 worsened the situation. Despite a number of changes introduced in 1987 and 1994 Mozambique is still dependent on foreign aid for a large part of its budget and most of the population (70 percent) lives below the poverty line.
Mozambique produces some agricultural goods such as cotton, cashews, sugar cane, maize and tropical fruits and some industrial products such as chemicals (fertilizer, soap and paints), aluminum and textiles, among others.
Area: 799,380 sq km
Population: 19.687 million (2006 estimate)
Capital: Maputo (Population 1.14 million)
People: Indigenous ethnic groups and very small minorities of European and Asian descent.
Languages: Portuguese (official), over 30 African languages
Religion(s): Roman Catholic, other Christian (including independent African churches), Muslim (about a fifth of the population). Elements of indigenous religion are widespread.
Currency: Metical (MT) = 100 centavos. Exchange rate £1 = MT43,000 (August 2005)
Major political parties: Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo), Resistência Nacional de Moçambique (Renamo)
Head of State: President Armando Guebuza
Membership of international groupings/organisations: The Commonwealth; AU (African Union); SADC (Southern African Development Community); the Islamic Conference Organisation (OIC); the Non-Aligned Movement; the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP); the Organisation of Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP); and the Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).
The last national census (in 1997) includes a detailed breakdown of religious affiliation, language etc, and can be found at:
GEOGRAPHY
The Republic of Mozambique extends for 2,500 km along the east coast of Africa and shares land borders with Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland. The capital city, Maputo, is in the far south of the country.
HISTORY
The Portuguese arrived on the East African coast in the early 16th century, displacing Arab rulers from many of the towns there. They established settlements along the Zambezi, but were for centuries largely confined to the river valley and the coastal strip. After many failed attempts to penetrate inland (particularly to control the gold and silver mines of what is now Zimbabwe), they made a concerted effort to conquer the interior in the late 19th century. By 1914 the Portuguese had achieved the “effective occupation” required by the 1885 Berlin Conference of European powers to justify imperial claims.
In contrast to the policies of other colonial powers in Africa after 1945, the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal (1932-1968) was determined to hold on to the country’s colonies. The Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo) formed in 1962, led the struggle for independence. Following the military coup in Portugal in 1974, a joint Portuguese/Frelimo Transitional Government was established, and in 1975 the country achieved independence under Frelimo whose leader, Samora Machel, became the first president.
Frelimo initially pursued Marxist-Leninist policies, and was violently opposed by the Resistência Nacional de Moçambique (Renamo), formed in 1976/7 under Rhodesian direction, but drawing on popular resentment (primarily in the central region) against the government. Following the demise of Rhodesia, Renamo enjoyed South African patronage as part of the latter’s “Total Onslaught” strategy aimed at disrupting the politics and economies of the black ruled “front-line states” on its borders. War-weariness and political changes in South Africa and Mozambique – including Frelimo’s move away from doctrinaire Marxism-Leninism – helped bring about a peace agreement between Frelimo and Renamo in 1992. The end of the civil war, facilitated by both Mozambicans and the international community, is regarded as one of the most successful examples of conflict resolution in Africa.
POLITICS
Mozambique's first democratic elections were held in October 1994, under close international scrutiny. Frelimo’s Joaquim Chissano (who had succeded Machel following the latter’s death in an air-crash in 1986) was elected president on 53% of the vote. Renamo’s Afonso Dhlakama received 35%. Frelimo won 129 of the 250 seats in parliament and Renamo 112; a coalition of smaller parties, the Democratic Union, won the 9 remaining seats.
Both presidential and parliamentary elections were held again in December 1999, and Chissano was re-elected with 52% of the vote, against Dhlakama's 48%. Frelimo won 133 seats in parliament and the Renamo-Electoral Union coalition of eleven parties 117. In the most recent elections, held in December 2004, Chissano’s successor, Armando Guebuza, won 64% of the vote and Dhlakama 32%. Frelimo took 158 seats in parliament and Renamo took 92.
Renamo has repeatedly criticised the electoral process, and boycotted municipal elections in 1998. But international observers – although noting irregularities – have declared national elections to be free and fair; or at least reflecting the will of the electorate. Observers found the 2004 elections to be the least satisfactory since 1994. Frelimo’s inroads into Renamo’s central region heartlands fed widespread suspicion of fraud, although Renamo’s legal challenge has not been successful. There is now a debate on reform of the institutional framework to tackle some of the problems and irregularities observed in the process.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights in Mozambique were poorly observed during the civil war, and atrocities were committed by both sides. The situation has improved in the last 10 years but remains patchy, largely because of systemic weaknesses such as police corruption and a culture of impunity in the political elite, rather than repressive policies or legislation. The government’s reform programme, and increasing public intolerance are having a positive influence. But in some areas Mozambique is ahead of its neighbours; the Media Institute of Southern Africa rates the country’s media as the freest in the region. The media played an important role in putting pressure on government to end the culture of impunity among the Frelimo elite after the execution-style killing of one of the country’s foremost investigative journalists, Carlos Cardoso, in 2001.
Human Rights Annual Report 2006
ECONOMY
Mozambique’s economy was devastated by decades of conflict. Its high growth rate over the last decade has been from a very low base, and has been greatly dependent on capital-intensive investment by the private sector, and on the strong South African economy. Neither of these influences have favoured smaller businesses, or the central and northern regions, raising concerns about the distribution of wealth. Problems with governance – corruption, legislation and revenue collection in particular – have also inhibited economic development. The government has initiated widespread reforms to alleviate this, particularly in banking, the management of public finance and the collection of customs dues.
Agriculture employs 83% of the population and until recently accounted for 80% of exports. Minerals make up an increasing share of exports, and recent investment in Mozambique’s mineral and gas deposits may increase their contribution to the economy. The Mozambican economy also benefits from the transit of goods to and from the African interior. Investment in infrastructure for the Beira, Nacala and Maputo Corridors, which respectively link Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa’s Gauteng province to the Indian Ocean has increased in recent years.
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$6.431 bn (2006 estimate)
GDP per head: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$333 (2005)
Annual GDP Growth: 9.8% (2006 estimate)
Inflation: 12.8% (2006 estimate)
Major Industries: aluminium (processing only); natural gas; hydro power, prawns and fish (45%); cotton (2%); cashew nuts (9%); timber, sugar and copra (14%); agriculture
Major trading partners: (exports) Spain, South Africa, US, Belgium, Italy; (imports) South Africa, Australia, Portugal
DEVELOPMENT
In spite of a high growth rate in the last 10 years, Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the region, with a per capita GDP well below the African average. The fight against poverty is the Mozambican government's top priority. Its Poverty Reduction Strategy has had some success, reducing the proportion of Mozambicans living in absolute poverty from 69% in 1997 to 54% in 2003. At 13.6%, the prevalence of HIV infection , while high, remains lower than the regional average. Systemic problems (connected to the governance problems referred to in the Economy section above) and lack of capacity, especially in education and health, are the major development challenges.
DFID’s aid contribution in Mozambique has increased from £47 million in 2004/2005 to £55 million for 2006/2007 of which £35 million will be direct budgetary support.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
In spite of its Portuguese colonial inheritance, Mozambique enjoys close relations with its formerly British-ruled neighbours, largely because of shared experience in the struggle against white rule. This led to the country joining the Commonwealth in 1995. Mozambique contributes troops to UN peacekeeping in Burundi and participates in SADC peacekeeping training and planning.
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