Conflict episode
RENAMO founded and civil war begins, 1977
RENAMO, founded in May 1977 by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation and later sponsored by South African Military Intelligence, waged a fifteen-year civil war against the FRELIMO government.
What happened
RENAMO was founded in May 1977 by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation, with André Matsangaissa as its initial leader; after Zimbabwean independence in 1980 removed Rhodesian support, RENAMO came under the sponsorship of South African Military Intelligence.[1] RENAMO waged a civil war against the FRELIMO government that lasted until a 1992 peace agreement; published estimates put the death toll at roughly 1 million and displacement at about 5 million people, though no single authoritative figure exists.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: RENAMO was founded in May 1977 by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation, with André Matsangaissa as its initial leader; following Zimbabwean independence in 1980, which removed Rhodesian support, RENAMO came under the sponsorship of South African Military Intelligence.
- RENAMO (Wikipedia) link, Founding and Rhodesian and South African backing sections. Source record
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2.
Claim: The Mozambican Civil War, fought between FRELIMO and RENAMO from 1977 until a 1992 peace agreement, is estimated in published sources to have caused roughly 1 million deaths and to have displaced about 5 million people; no single authoritative casualty figure exists.
- Mozambican Civil War (Wikipedia) link, Casualties and impact section. Source record