Mozambican National Union

From 1964 to 1974 FRELIMO, Communist insurgents, led the fight against the Portuguese Government with backing from the Soviet Union to achieve Mozambique's independence. Following the Carnation Revolution the new Portuguese government sought to disengage from its colonial conflicts and granted independence to its colonies, however, in Mozambique's case the Portuguese gave Mozambique directly to FRELIMO, without any election or input from non-Communist forces. The PRM had operated from a compound just over the border in Malawi, and where led by Gimo M’Phiri, a former FRELIMO commander turned insurgent who was made the "vice-commander" of RENAMO post merger. Despite the merger, tensions still existed between the old RENAMO core and the new PRM fighters and officers, especially since RENAMO's upper ranks were dominated by Ndau-speaking commanders from central Mozambique, while the PRM where mostly Sena-speakers from northern Mozambique. By the mid to late 1980s former PRM commanders began to accuse RENAMO's upper leadership of “Ndau tribalism”, and in 1987 RENAMO named Calisto Meque, a Ndau, to lead a campaign in Sena-speaking parts of the north. Many Ndau speaking troops where killed due to their unfamiliarity with the terrain which Meque blamed on Sena officers as a plot to weaken Ndau forces. As such Meque began a purge of Sena officers under his command consisting of both executions, but also a terror campaign against Sena civilians, while at the same time the People's National Security Service (SNASP), FRELIMO's state security agency, began to more seriously infiltrate RENAMO's leadership and "encouraged" further infighting. By 1987 M’Phiri's influence within RENAMO had reached the lowest it had ever been, with M’Phiri growing increasingly isolated and oftentimes making independent strategy decisions with forces still loyal to him. ==History==

, Hastings Banda, was UNAMO's main sponsor during the Mozambican civil war. In Late 1987 M’Phiri made the decision to retreat across the border back into Malawi with around 500 loyal fighters and formally split from RENAMO, establishing UNAMO with his longtime ally Carlos Reis acting as their political leader. UNAMO also endorsed free-market policies, calling for continued privatization, encouragement of small businesses, foreign investment, and social investment in health, education, and housing. UNAMO joined the Renamo-UE electoral bloc for the 1999 election, the closest any opposition group has come to beating FRELIMO. In the lead-up to the 2009 election FRELIMO changed the election laws to make it harder for smaller parties to stand, requiring 10,000 signatures to run in the Presidential election, which UNAMO was unable to secure. The party would continue to limp along as a local regionalist party in Milange, winning two seats in their city council in the 2008 local elections as Reis finished in second place for the mayoral election. UNAMO would never formally disband, however, after failing to run in the 2009 election they wouldn't stand in any subsequent elections. They remained registered legally during the 2014 and 2019 elections, but didn't have any media presence, nor receive any votes. ==References==