Fragile states / Comment
Mozambique: how successful is this success story?
08/09/2005 By Megan Burke
On December 5th, 2004, the airport in Maputo was full of SADC (Southern African
Development Community) election observers returning home after the successful
completion of Mozambique’s third general election since the declaration of peace in 1992.
An outward sign of the consolidation of peace and democracy, the elections provided members of the international community with another opportunity to applaud their efforts in the rebuilding of this country that endured nearly three decades of armed conflict.
However, despite the apparent success of the recent elections, after 13 years of peace and 30 years of independence, Mozambique remains a paradox.
While the international community often holds up Mozambique as a rare example of success for its sustained peace after many years of war, serious institutional and economic problems remain that threaten that peace as well as democracy and development.
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Keywords
Conflict resolution Failed states Mozambique Peace processRelated publications
Bio author: Megan Burke
Megan Burke is a Programme Manager at the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) where she works on a campaign that seeks to eliminate the impact of landmines in several post-conflict countries and serves on the Steering Committee for the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines. Megan Burke is also a consultant to the Governance and Civil Society Unit at the Ford Foundation where she provides research assistance for portfolios on U.S. Foreign Policy, post-conflict reconstruction, and regional conflict prevention and resolution in Africa and the Middle East. She holds a Master's degree in International Relations from Yale University.
