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Liberation Movements and Battlefield Solidarity: Frelimo and ZANU Soldiers Fighting Side by Side in Rhodesia

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  • Clinarete Munguambe

Abstract

This article offers a historical examination of the military co-operation between the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) and Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) soldiers during the Zimbabwean liberation struggle. It tells us about the kinds of exchanges that shaped the liberation struggle on the battlefield across three distinct and increasingly intense phases. Based on interviews with Zimbabwean and Mozambican war veterans and veteran memoirs, the article explores the dynamic of solidarity forged between Mozambican People’s Liberation Forces (FPLM) soldiers and Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) fighters inside Rhodesia. The article argues that the multitude of military training regimes and ideologies that the rank-and-file soldiers of the two armies had experienced and adopted played out in their interactions during the war. These differences created friction, conflict and disruption, but ultimately led to the negotiation of new forms of military co-operation and strategy that shaped specifically battlefield solidarities.

Suggested Citation

  • Clinarete Munguambe, 2025. "Liberation Movements and Battlefield Solidarity: Frelimo and ZANU Soldiers Fighting Side by Side in Rhodesia," Journal of Southern African Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(6), pages 899-917, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cjssxx:v:51:y:2025:i:6:p:899-917
    DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2026.2655519
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