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| c. Mozambique |
| 1962 |
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| Frente de Libertação de Mozambique (FRELIMO), led by Eduardo Mondlane, was founded to fight against colonial rule. | 1 |
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| 1966 |
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| FRELIMO captured control of most of the rural north, while the Portuguese continued to hold the urban centers. | 2 |
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| 1969 |
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| FRELIMO leader Eduardo Mondlane was assassinated and was succeeded by Samora Machel, who promoted a more revolutionary Socialist line. | 3 |
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| 1970–80 |
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| Liberated zones, and after 1975 the independence of Mozambique under FRELIMO, provided a base of operations for Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) and South African liberation movements. The liberated zones were also a target for the Rhodesian security forces until Zimbabwean independence in 1980. After independence, the Rhodesian security forces shaped a Mozambiquan rebel army that became known as Movimento Nacional da Resistencia de Mozambique (MNR, or RENAMO). | 4 |
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| 1974 |
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| A military coup in Portugal (See 1974, April 25) forced the end of its colonial wars. Mozambique, Angola, and other Portuguese territories became independent the following year. | 5 |
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| 1975, June 25 |
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| Mozambique attained independence under the ruling party, FRELIMO. Upon independence, skilled Portuguese managers left, leaving much of the economic infrastructure in shambles. Moreover, financial difficulties resulted from the struggle against colonialism in Rhodesia and South Africa. | 6 |
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| 1977 |
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| FRELIMO expressed its revolutionary commitment by declaring itself a Marxist-Leninist party. | 7 |
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| 1980 |
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| Mozambique joined the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), organized to reduce dependence on South Africa. | 8 |
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| 1983 |
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| By this time RENAMO, which had been taken over by South African agents after Zimbabwean independence, was disrupting life in large areas of the countryside. | 9 |
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| 1984 |
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| South Africa agreed to stop aiding RENAMO, and Mozambique agreed not to aid ANC guerrillas, in the Nkomati Accord. Mozambique did curb ANC activities, but South African assistance continued to come to RENAMO. As a result, Mozambique relied on aid from surrounding countries, including 10,000 troops from Zimbabwe, to guard its vital installations and communications. | 10 |
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| 1986, Oct |
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| Pres. Samora Machel was killed when his airplane crashed just over the South African border, leading to suspicion of foul play by South Africa. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, the foreign minister, succeeded to the presidency. | 11 |
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