1974 - Mozambique’s FRELIMO Launches Final Offensive Toward Independence

On June 13, 1974, the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) launched its final military offensive against Portuguese colonial forces in northern Mozambique, a decisive push that accelerated the end of centuries-long colonial rule. While the Carnation Revolution in Portugal had begun to shift power back home, FRELIMO capitalized on the moment, intensifying its campaign for national sovereignty. Though often overshadowed by independence movements in Angola or South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, FRELIMO’s success was instrumental in igniting a wave of decolonization across Southern Africa. The offensive pressured Portugal to sign the Lusaka Accord just months later, leading to full Mozambican independence on June 25, 1975. The event highlighted a rarely acknowledged truth: that African military strategy and political organization—not just European political shifts—played a central role in ending colonial rule. June 13 remains a turning point in African international resistance movements, especially in Lusophone Africa.