A charismatic leader with revolutionary socialist ideas, Samora Machel led Mozambique from independence until his death in 1986. It was during his rule that the country experienced the start and bloody development of the 16-year war (1976-1992) between the Mozambican government (Frelimo) and Renamo (with support from Southern Rhodesia and South Africa). In 1984 it signed the Nkomati agreement with South Africa, with the aim of maintaining good neighborliness and putting an immediate end to the civil war. With the collapse of the national economy (due to civil war, droughts, destroyed infrastructure and low productivity), in 1985 Samora began a tour of the West in search of financial assistance for the country, laying the foundations for the liberalization of the country’s economy.
On October 19, 1986, while returning from an international meeting in Lusaka, the Tupolev 134A aircraft he was traveling in crashed in Mbuzini. Despite being considered a national hero, some of the social policies he implemented after independence were highly contested by urban and rural Mozambican society. Like any great historical figure, Samora Machel was a contested leader. However, this contestation over his historical role largely demonstrates his position among Mozambicans as one of the strongest markers of national unity in the country.
