Mozambique: 500 years of struggle

"We, as Mozambicans at the beginning, chose to achieve our independence through diplomatic means."

"But unfortunately, the coloniser did not accept the diplomatic path."

"Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo reflects on the nation's prolonged struggle for independence, exploring why it took longer than in other parts of Africa and what made its journey unique."

Mozambicans initially chose diplomatic means to attain independence. The colonial power refused diplomatic overtures and persisted in maintaining control. That refusal transformed the independence effort into a prolonged struggle. The duration exceeded that of many other African independence movements. Multiple contextual factors produced the extended timeline and distinctive characteristics of the Mozambican struggle. Political stalemate, entrenched colonial interests, regional geopolitics, and internal organizational dynamics shaped the trajectory. The interplay of diplomatic attempts, colonial intransigence, and subsequent mobilization determined both the pace and the nature of the independence movement, producing a uniquely protracted path to sovereignty.

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