On this day in 1975, 49 years ago, Mozambique’s Maxist-Leninist liberation movement, the Mozambique Liberation Front, better known as FRELIMO, defeated Portugal’s colonial rule over the country.

In 1970, the Portuguese army launched “Operation Gordian Knot” to put down the liberation war, using napalm and scorched earth tactics, wiping out entire villages, as in the case of the “Wiriyamu Massacre.”

One of the leaders of FRELIMO was revolutionary socialist and independence leader Samora Machel, who became the first President of Mozambique on June 25, 1975, declaring “the total and complete independence of Mozambique and its constitution into the People’s Republic of Mozambique.”

Machel quickly nationalized land, healthcare, education, and other essential sectors to redistribute and provide for the people. In 1981, the CIA plotted to assassinate Machel and others and was accused by the Mozambican government of preparing to back a coup.

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