But perhaps the best proof of our control over Tete is the fact that we were
able to use this province as a bridgehead
to open a new front in Manica e Sofala
situated exactly in the centre of our
country. The struggle in this province
started on 25 July 1972 and is still at the
early stage of ambushes, sabotage operations and attacks against small enemy
camps. However, our advance has been
extremely rapid, and our forces already
cover all the region up to Gorongoza.
Since July, we have attacked 17 camps,
destroyed 110 vehicles and killed 450
enemy  soldiers,   and   5   aircraft.
the people's political consciousness
An extremely significant factor in this
province is the very high level of political
consciousness of the people. Perhaps this
is because Manica e Sofala is a rich area
with a relatively large Portuguese population, so that the people are subjected
to more direct and intensive oppression
and exploitation. The extent of their
resistance to colonialism and their support
for the liberation struggle is extremely
high. For example, as soon as the struggle
starts in a particular zone, parents bring
their sons and daughters to the FRELIMO
bases to be trained and enrolled in our
armed forces. When we started military
operations in this province, the enemy
distributed arms to the people and ordered them to shoot the guerrillas on sight.
In fact, however, the people immediately
offered the weapons to our fighters. The
people consistently resist being taken to
the strategic hamlets. If taken, they run
away to our zones at the first available
opportunity. Before the struggle started
in Manica e Sofala, a group of workers in
the province sent a messenger to Tete to
contact the FRELIMO leaders. They
criticised FRELIMO for only fighting in
Tete and not extending the struggle to
Manica e Sofala, and they added: 4If
FRELIMO wants to liberate only Tete,
then we shall all go to Tete to save ourselves'. After receiving precise directives
from FRELIMO, they created conditions
for the start of armed struggle in their
zone. These few examples demonstrate
the adhesion of our people to the liberation struggle and explain the great success
we are achieving.
The   opening of military  operations in
Manica e Sofala was dramatically brought
to the knowledge of international opinion
by the death of General Franco's personal doctor, Angel Garaizabal Bastos,
last July, when the aircraft he was in
landed south of Maringue in the Pungue
region, and by our forces' repeated attacks on economic installations in Gorongoza region.
Our policy towards thc civilian population remains the same - as civilians they
are not targets for us. Our guns are
aimed at the colonial war machine and
the economic system which supports it.
However, aircraft being the main weapons
the enemy use against us - even tourist
planes are used for reconnaissance - it is
clear that our comrades cannot refrain
from shooting them down on the grounds
that «they may carry civilians)). This
explains the death of the Spanish doctor.
On the other hand, tourism is one of the
colonial government's most important
sources of foreign exchange.
Our objective, therefore, is to discourage
tourism in Mozambique. This explains
our recent attacks on tourist installations
in Gorongoza Game Park. Our comrades
were careful not to kill or wound any
tourist - although they had plenty of
opportunity to do so. These actions must
be interpreted as warnings to those who
believe in the Portuguese propaganda
that there is no war in Mozambique, or
that it is confined to the borders with
Zambia or Tanzania. The days of the
colonial «tropical paradise)) belong to
the past.
The same advice is also addressed to the
foreign technicians who, motivated by
high salaries, agree to work on projects
which are to perpetuate colonial domination in our country, like Cahora Bassa,
which we have defined as a strategic
target since 1968. The military headquarters at Chitima, just 14 km. from
Cahora bassa, has already been attacked.
After issuing repeated warnings, we wish
to state that we shall not hold ourselves
responsible for the loss of civilian life in
the war zones. Especially now that
tourists and technicians and Portuguese
soldiers are mingled together in the same
buses, convoys and hotels. The dangers
are great and those who enter these zones
do so at their own risk.
In Niassa, our forces control most of the
province and have paralysed enemy movements. However, the very small population in what is in effect one of the
country's largest provinces' limits the possibilities for extensive activities. During
the period from August, 1972 to June,
1973, our fighters attacked 6 posts; destroyed 22 vehicles, 1 locomotive and 8
wagons; blew up 3 bridges; and killed
more than 200 Portuguese soldiers.
increased repression
Now, as in the past, one of the enemy
reactions to our progress is repression.
Wiriyamu is just one case among hundreds.
And the massacres are not only in Tete,
but in all the provinces. It is true that in
the past few years they have tended to be