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The Conflict with Renamo, 1976-1992
«December 1982»
Dossier MZ-0020
34. Beira Oil Storage Facility Attacked Again;
MNR Kidnapping Campaign
Continues to Target Foreigners
Above: An aerial view of the Beira port complex, probably taken in the early 1990s. Source: Noticías.
In a reprise of one of the MNR's earliest attacks in the Mozambican conflict, the rebel group set oil storage tanks in Beira ablaze again. The area was only lightly defended. Evidence points to the March 1979 attack as having been carried out by Rhodesian troops and then claimed by the MNR (click here for details). In this month's raid, however, the depot, which is the biggest in the region and on which Zimbabwe depends via a terrestrial pipeline, was reported to have been completely destroyed.
The Portuguese priest Father Adelino da Conceição Francisco arrived back in Portugal on the 14th, after being released from MNR captivity. He had been kidnapped with other priests on 16 September. In the meantime, the MNR abducted two French engineers near the Cahora Bassa dam, continuing their campaign of targeting foreign aid workers and missionaries. Of course, large numbers of Mozambican peasants and workers were also compelled to live in MNR acampamentos and bases.
Consolidated Downloadable Zipped Files
Click on the yellow folder image below to download an unsorted zipped archive of documents and press clippings in PDF format concerning the armed conflict between Renamo/MNR and the Mozambican government in December 1982.
