Afonso Dhlakama’s Reign of Terror and The Money Behind RENAMO

Afonso Dhlakama who died at the age of 65, was the leaders and face of RENAMO (the Mozambican National Resistance Movement)  for a long time. Dhlakama was an agent of white supremacist governments in Southern Africa. He was backed by colonial Rhodesia, and used to destabilise the Frelimo government, which supported the black Zimbabwe liberation fighters. After Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, Renamo formed alliances with South Africa’s apartheid regime, which supplied it with arms.

Dhlakama and RENAMO fought the constitutional FRELIMO government from 1977 to 1992. More than a million people were killed during the 16-year civil war.

In a 2015, interview with the Lusa news agency, Dhlakama argued that civil war in Mozambique was justified because of Frelimo’s “betrayal of independence”. He further argued that, were it not for the “arrogance” of Samora Machel, the first Mozambican president, and Frelimo’s “cruel behaviour”, “there would be no physical force for a civil war”. The faulty logic in Dhlakama’s reasoning is that he was supported by the white supremacist governments of Rhodesia and South Africa. How could he have been fighting for black people when he was receiving support from people who were intentionally oppressing black people.

How did Dhlakama get away with killing more than a million people and the world not care? The answer lies in those who funded him who made sure that as long as Dhlakama annihilated Africans they would keep him out of the ICC by pretending that the mass graves around Mozambique did not exist.

On March 16, 1984, Mozambique signed a special treaty with the apartheid government of South Africa known as the Nkomati Agreement. Mozambique promised not to allow the ANC (African National Congress) or any other South African liberation movements to operate within its borders. In exchange South Africa would stop supporting RENAMO rebels. Mozambique honored their agreement and most ANC fighters left Mozambique. On the other hand, the apartheid government of South Africa reneged on their agreement and continued to supply, arm and support RENAMO. South Africa’s support of RENAMO was part of their greater strategy to destabilize and weaken independent states in the region of Southern Africa.

RENAMO also receive additional funding and support from white supremacists in the United States such as the former Senator Jesse Helms. Senator Jesse Helms the so called good Christian man fought the Reagan administration when it attempted to brand RENAMO, a terrorist organization. Senators Bob Dole and Jesse Helms lobbied the Reagan administration to get aid funneled to Mozambique through RENAMO, a highly unusual way of giving aid. The US government has always prided itself as a the beacon of democracy but was unwilling to give aid to an elected government and instead channel it to a terrorist group that could never win an election.

Dhlakama had no respect for property rights yet claimed to support capitalism. He lost every election that he was a part of then resorted to violence and genocide to strong arm his way into political power and yet claimed that he believed in democracy. The metric that measures that a leader believes in capitalism is how much they foster an environment to create businesses and which is measured by the numbers of businesses that are opened in the area and the wealth of the region that they preside over generally by GDP of the region. Dhlakama did not advocate for business, instead he created a war zone which is adverse to business.

Throughout his life he never did anything to promote a capitalist environment leading many who knew him well to state that he was an insurgent without a cause.The economic trail of destruction inflicted by Dhlakama ensured that Mozambique would struggle to develop its insfrustucture. Dhlakama destroyed all transportation networks such as roads and railroad to ensure that no commerce could take place in the country.

As late as 2013, Dhlakama was still sponsoring violence in Manica province. The Mozambican government was still negotiating with Dhlakama to disarm RENAMO at the time of his death.