In Angola and Mozambique the principal cleavage in democratic politics is between a ruling party that formerly ruled as a socialist single party, and an opposition party that was formerly a foreign-backed rebel group. Both ruling parties, the MPLA in Angola and Frelimo in Mozambique, remain closely identified with the state in a way that has limited the possibilities for engagement by the opposition parties, respectively UNITA and Renamo.
Given these similarities, a comparison between UNITA and Renamo reveals key points of divergence that merit investigation as the reasons for to the differing strategies adopted by the two parties in peacetime and the differing impacts that they have had in democratic politics.
The balance of military power at the time of the peace settlement has set limits on the possibilities for the post-war party: military stalemate in Mozambique, in contrast to an Angolan government victory that allowed it to dictate the terms of the settlement.
Within these parameters, two factors endogenous to the opposition movements themselves determine how they engage in peacetime politics. The first of these is the nature of the relationship between the rebel movement and the population under its control. UNITA in wartime cultivated sociality around itself through projects of rebel governance, creating a category of “UNITA people” that was both an asset and a hindrance in peacetime mobilisation. Renamo, having been less active in promoting social solidarity during war, was forced to reinvent its engagement with rural society following a decline in electoral support.
Second, the skills and organisational habits developed during wartime have shaped the party’s programme in peacetime. Having built human capital in wartime, UNITA has inherited a base of activists that has determined a distinctive mode of mobilisation since the war. Renamo’s lack of skills has left it ill-equipped to overcome its structurally disadvantaged position, to the point where returning to violence in 2013 appeared the best option.