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 Germany |  Mozambique |
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Germany and Mozambique have maintained diplomatic relations since Mozambique's independence in 1975. [1] Since then, numerous visits by German politicians and business commissions to Mozambique have followed, and a number of Mozambican politicians have visited the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mozambique was a Portuguese colony after Vasco da Gama's arrival in 1498. The German Empire took possession of the adjacent territory to the north as German East Africa in 1885. After the Anglo-German Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty in 1890, the German Empire also considered the Kionga Triangle in the extreme northeast of Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) as belonging to German East Africa and occupied the area in 1894. [2]
When World War I broke out in August 1914, Portugal was initially still neutral and did not receive a declaration of war from Germany until March 9, 1916. Portuguese troops then reoccupied the disputed Kionga Triangle.
At the end of World War I in East Africa, the remainder of the German Schutztruppe für Deutsch-Ostafrika retreated to Mozambican territory in November 1917 ahead of British forces. In September 1918, they moved on to Northern Rhodesia, where they surrendered on November 25, 1918, following news of the armistice in Europe. [1]
The Kionga Triangle was finally granted to Portugal in the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919.
In 1932, the Laurentina Brewery was founded, the first beer brewery in Mozambique. The recipe was developed by a German brewmaster who was recruited for the purpose in Germany and initially managed the fabrication in Mozambique. [3]
Portuguese East Africa became the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique in 1951 and gained independence in 1975, following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal.
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was the first German state to recognize the young People's Republic of Mozambique, followed by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1976. [1]
Mozambique and the GDR subsequently maintained intensive relations, and the country became a focus of GDR development aid. Thus, numerous Mozambicans studied here, and as of 1979, over 16,000 [4] to about 22,000 [1] contract workers came to the GDR. In total, the number of Mozambicans who studied or worked in the GDR is estimated at 26,000. [5]
Within the framework of scientific and technical cooperation, numerous GDR technicians were also sent to Mozambique to work on various projects for the reconstruction and development of the country. In the process, the foreign aid workers, whose expertise made an essential contribution to the stabilization and development of the newly independent, socialist-oriented country, repeatedly became the target of planned attacks. These attacks were carried out by RENAMO, a rebel group largely under the control of the South African military intelligence service of the time, which was used to destabilize Mozambique. [6] [7] [8] [9] The Unango attack on December 6, 1984, was the worst of these incidents. Seven GDR citizens died as a result. RENAMO received considerable material and moral support from a right-wing conservative network around then-Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauß, who at times pursued his own foreign policy, parallel to the German government's foreign policy aimed at détente. This West German network of supporters of RENAMO ranged from representatives of the Hanns-Seidel Foundation to intelligence actors. [10] [11] [12] [13]
After the end of the People's Republic of Mozambique in 1990 and the Mozambican Civil War in 1992, the now reunified Germany participated in the reconstruction in Mozambique. A large number of reciprocal high-level visits have taken place since then. [1]
However, the problem of the Madgermanes, the approximately 15,000 contract workers whose wages were to be paid partly locally and partly in Mozambique, remained unsolved. They came to Germany after a state treaty between the GDR and Mozambique in 1979. After reunification in 1990, however, the Federal Republic did not adopt the contract and expelled the Mozambicans with severance payments. They are now waiting for the outstanding portions of their wage payments, which the German government said they should receive from the Mozambican government. Claims arising from their social security contributions paid in Germany also remain in dispute. [4] Since then, those affected have regularly demonstrated in Maputo, including briefly occupying the German Embassy in 2004. [14]
In 2000, the case of the Mozambican Alberto Adriano, who was beaten to death by neo-Nazis in Dessau, attracted international attention.
There are a large number of cooperation and funding programs between the two countries, particularly through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). [1] In addition, the DAAD promotes student exchanges. In 2015, for example, 30 DAAD scholarship holders came to Mozambique from Germany, while 65 Mozambicans came to Germany with a DAAD scholarship for study purposes in the same period.
Particularly after the significant offshore natural gas discoveries in the northern Rovuma Basin in 2011, economic interest in Mozambique has also grown in Germany. For example, the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad for Southern Africa, based in South Africa, opened a German-Mozambican business development office in Maputo in April 2014. [1]
In 2021, Germany exported 52 million euros worth of goods to Mozambique and in return imported 162 million euros worth of goods from the country. [15] However, goods and services are also traded with Mozambique through German branches in South Africa, which are therefore not included in the German-Mozambican trade statistics.
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Africa to the southwest. The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo.
The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces or FADM are the national armed forces of Mozambique. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three branches of service: Army, Air Force and Navy.
While alliances dating back to the Mozambican War of Independence remain relevant, Mozambique's foreign policy has become increasingly pragmatic. The twin pillars of the policy are maintenance of good relations with its neighbors and maintenance and expansion of ties to development partners.
Samora Moisés Machel was a Mozambican military commander and political leader. A socialist in the tradition of Marxism–Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the country's independence in 1975.
RENAMO is a Mozambican political party and militant group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in May 1977 from anti-communist dissidents opposed to Mozambique's ruling FRELIMO party. RENAMO was initially led by André Matsangaissa, a former senior official in FRELIMO's armed wing, and was composed of several anti-communist dissident groups which appeared immediately prior to, and shortly following, Mozambican independence. Matsangaissa, who died in 1979, was succeeded by Afonso Dhlakama, who led the organization until his death in 2018. He was succeeded by Ossufo Momade.
The Mozambican Civil War was a civil war fought in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992. Like many regional African conflicts during the late twentieth century, the Mozambican Civil War possessed local dynamics but was also exacerbated greatly by the polarizing effects of Cold War politics. The war was fought between Mozambique's ruling Marxist Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), the anti-communist insurgent forces of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), and a number of smaller factions such as the PRM, UNAMO, COREMO, UNIPOMO, and FUMO.
Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo is a Mozambican politician who has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2020. She served as the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique from 2010 to 2020. Dlhovo is a member of Frelimo.
Ethnic Chinese in Mozambique once numbered around five thousand individuals, but their population fell significantly during the Mozambican Civil War. After the return of peace and the expansion of Sino-Mozambican economic cooperation, their numbers have been bolstered by new expatriates from the People's Republic of China.
Filipe Jacinto Nyusi is a Mozambican politician serving as the fourth President of Mozambique since 2015. He is the current leader of FRELIMO, the party that has governed Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Additionally, he has served as the Chairman of the Southern African Development Community since August 2020.
Denmark–Mozambique relations refers to the current and historical relations between Denmark and Mozambique. Denmark has an embassy in Maputo, and Mozambique is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden with an honorary consulate in Copenhagen. Diplomatic relations were established on 26 June 1975, but relations date back to before Mozambique achieved independence. The Danish Institute for Human Rights has worked with Mozambique since 1997. In 2000, Denmark signed an agreement with Finance Minister Luisa Diogo about implementation of mechanisms.
Gilles Cistac was a French-Mozambican lawyer specialised in constitutional law. He was shot and killed and political motives were suspected. The RENAMO party organised protests.
Brazil–Mozambique relations refers to the bilateral relations between Brazil and Mozambique. Both nations are members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, Group of 77 and the United Nations.
Mozambique–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Mozambique and Turkey. Turkey has an embassy in Maputo since March 15, 2011 while Mozambique's ambassador in Rome is also accredited to Turkey.
The Maputo Accord, officially the Maputo Accord for Peace and National Reconciliation, is a peace agreement between the Government of Mozambique and Renamo, signed on 6 August 2019, with the aim of bringing definitive peace to Mozambique. The agreement was signed by the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, and the leader of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, in Maputo, and was the result of years of negotiations. It was preceded by the signing of the Agreement on the Definitive Cessation of Military Hostilities, on 1 August 2019, in Gorongosa.
Germany–Morocco relations date back to the 19th century. The German Foreign Office describes Morocco as a "central partner of the European Union and Germany in North Africa," and Germany is an important trading partner for Morocco. In the past, however, relations have not always been entirely free of tension.
Angola–Germany relations are the bilateral relations between Angola and Germany. Angola has an embassy in Berlin and Germany has an embassy in Luanda.
Germany–Tanzania relations are the bilateral relations between Germany and Tanzania. From 1885 to 1918, Tanzania was a German colony as part of German East Africa. In the 21st century, relations are primarily characterized by the joint development cooperation.
Germany–Sudan relations are the current and historical relations between Germany and Sudan. The Federal Republic of Germany was the first country to recognize Sudan diplomatically in 1956. Due to its mediating position in the various armed conflicts in the country, Germany is a trusted partner for Sudan.
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