Continuity and Change of Community-Initiated Militias in Mozambique

Abstract Community-initiated militias—self-defense forces for community protection—have played an important role in past and current armed conflicts in Mozambique. During the civil war between the Frelimo government and the armed group Renamo (1976–1992), the Naparama militia was established to protect communities from Renamo (and state) violence. In the current insurgency in Cabo Delgado province (since 2017), the Naparama has mobilized again to fight jihadist insurgents. This article makes use of long-term fieldwork in Mozambique, including original interviews, archival work, and newspaper analyses, to trace the conflict continuities in the case of the Naparama and analyze differences between their current and past manifestations. The discussion shows how the active remembrance and remobilization of prior conflict actors can partially legitimize new violence and contribute to the continuation of conflict.