Mozambican Civil War

=== Military stalemate ===

By the end of the 1980s RENAMO, whilst incapable of capturing or securing any large cities, was still able to move freely in rural areas and attack smaller settlements at will. FRELIMO retained control of larger urban areas and the corridors, but was unable to effectively protect the countryside from RENAMO attacks. FRELIMO was also unable to pin down RENAMO and force it into more direct conventional warfare.

On 19 October 1986, President Machel died when his presidential aircraft [[1986 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 crash|crashed]] near South Africa's border under mysterious circumstances. A South African sponsored investigation concluded that the crash was caused by errors made by the flight crew, a conclusion that was not universally accepted. Subsequent investigations have failed to reach a conclusion and the accident remains surrounded by conspiracy theories claiming that South Africa was responsible for the crash. Machel's successor was [[Joaquim Chissano|Joaquim Alberto Chissano]], who had served as foreign minister from 1975 until Machel's death. Chissano continued Machel's policies of expanding Mozambique's international ties, particularly the country's links with the West, and starting programs of internal economic and military reforms.

During the war, hundreds of thousands of people died from famine, particularly the devastating famine of 1984.<ref name="Zinsmeister, Karl 1988 p. 88, 28">Zinsmeister, Karl. "All the Hungry People." REASON 20 (June 1988): 22-30. p. 88, 28</ref><ref name="Andersson, Hilary 1992. p. 64, 92">Andersson, Hilary. MOZAMBIQUE: A WAR AGAINST THE PEOPLE. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. p. 64, 92</ref><ref>THE FACTS ON FILE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE 20TH CENTURY. New York: Facts on File, 1991. p. 91, 640</ref> The famine was attributable to the weather conditions at the time but was significantly worsened by the conflict between RENAMO and FRELIMO.<ref name="Zinsmeister, Karl 1988 p. 88, 28"/><ref name="Andersson, Hilary 1992. p. 64, 92"/>