EDITORIAL
the coming victory
If we wished to draw one major lesson from the year 1970, we could say that it was the year when the
certainty of our final victory became absolutely clear even to the most sceptical of observers. Such certainty
has been confirmed by considerable evidence and based upon a wide range of factors, some connected with
the internal dynamics of the struggle itself, others with the international situation.
Thus it was in this year that the situation precipitated by the assassination of the President of FRELIMO,
Comrade Eduardo Mondlane, in 1969 was definitively solved. The hesitations, the doubts, concerning the
future of FRELIMO which had naturally arisen when Comrade Mondlane passed from the scene were finally
resolved with the decisions of the Central Committee in May of this year. In that historic meeting the Central
Committee issued fundamental directives concerning the political and military development of the struggle.
First, the Committee repudiated the opportunistic and corrupt line which, as represented by Uria Simango,
the former Vice-President, had threatened to impose itself upon the movement. Second, it reaffirmed the
centrality of revolutionary objectives and methods of work to our struggle. Finally, it elected a new President
Comrade Samora Machel, and a new Vice-President, Comrade Marcelino dos Santos, both of whom had been
members of the Council of the Presidency. In doing so it based its choice upon the fact that these comrades
enjoyed the confidence of the people, and that they had, by their consistently revolutionary positions, offered
proof of their ability to lead our struggle in a manner consistent with the goals and aspirations of the people.
Thus the harmony, confidence and ideological unity of FRELIMO was restored.
Indeed, it was just that unity and internal consolidation which, by giving new strength to FRELIMO, enabled
us to confront successfully the savage Portuguese offensive launched against our liberated areas in June. In
this operation the Portuguese used between 35,000 and 50,000 troops, supported by air-force, armoured cars
heavy artillery, and special corps. Yet ultimately they were forced to flee from our zones after suffering immense losses in men and war material. Their defeat was such that the Prime Minister of Portugal, Caetano
himself, sought to save face by declaring in his speech to the National Assembly on 2nd December that
«in this campaign the principal aspect is not the military operations . . . death is an inevitable dimension of
war... what matters is to convince the population to be faithful to Portugal.»
From our own perspective, however, one thing was much more important than the casualties which the offensive enabled us to inflict upon the enemy. This was the demonstration of fighting spirit and determination
on the part of our fighters and our people. When the war started in 1964 the reprisals of the Portuguese
terrorists drove many of the population to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. But now, in spite of the
fact that this offensive was much more ferocious and undertaken on a far bigger scale than that previous
one, there were no people who fled from their zones; they merely asked for more weapons with which to
defend their camps, their schools and hospitals, and their freedom. In short, it was precisely through the combined action of the guerrillas and the people that the colonialists were repelled. This is the clearest possible
indication that our struggle, based on the full support of the people, will inevitably succeed.
Meanwhile, in Portugal, the anti-colonialist and anti-fascist forces have begun to act, in that way weakening
the rearguard of the enemy and making an important contribution to our own efforts. In the past few months
the Armed Revolutionary Action (ARA), a Portuguese organisation, sabotaged several ships in the port of
Lisbon which were due to leave for the colonies carrying troops and war material. Bombs were placed in the