Part 5/11:
The onset of guerrilla warfare marked a defining moment, especially with the formation of the Lusaka Manifesto in 1970, which pledged support for black guerrilla movements. Countries such as China facilitated the construction of vital railroads while supplying weapons to nationalist fighters. In Mozambique, Samora Machel emerged as a powerful figure leading the Mozambican Liberation Front, FRELIMO. Despite being numerically outmatched, with only 14,000 fighters confronting more than 70,000 Portuguese troops, FRELIMO’s resilience and strategy led to remarkable successes.
The Portuguese realization that their colonial wars were unwinnable, compounded by military setbacks, culminated in a coup in 1974 that initiated independence for Mozambique in 1975.