The Mozambican government has formally requested that Portugal grant access to military archives relating to the national liberation struggle, arguing that consultation of the documentation will deepen historical research, confirm the identities of combatants and help locate burial sites.
The request was presented on Monday (14) in Maputo by the Minister of Veterans, Nyeleti Mondlane, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Portugal's Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo. The agreement provides for Portuguese support in the recovery, digitisation, conservation, valorisation and study of military archival heritage held in Mozambique.
According to Nyeleti Mondlane, a significant portion of documentation relating to military operations, troop numbers, detention sites and political and military decisions taken during the liberation struggle period is currently held in Portuguese archives. "Without that access, the history of the national liberation struggle continues to be written from only one of its sources," she said.
The minister explained that, in addition to preserving existing archives in Mozambique, the government intends to create conditions for Mozambican researchers to consult historical documentation conserved in Portugal. The objective, according to Nyeleti Mondlane, is to develop joint historiographical research that would complete records, confirm the identities of former combatants, locate graves and return to families information related to that period of the country's history.
Portugal's Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, argued that access to the archives is fundamental to ensuring a historical reconstruction grounded in facts and verifiable documentation. "You cannot write history truthfully if you cannot verify it factually," he said.
Nuno Melo also highlighted the reconciliation dimension associated with the agreement, stating that the preservation of historical memory can contribute to consolidating relations between Mozambique and Portugal.
According to the Portuguese minister, Portugal currently has approximately 130,000 living veterans, while Mozambique has around 120,000. He said the preservation and availability of the archives could also contribute to the recognition of veterans' rights and to clarifying events that occurred during the conflict.
Nyeleti Mondlane recalled that 52 years ago, Mozambicans and Portuguese signed the Lusaka Accords, which paved the way for the end of the colonial war and for Mozambican independence, proclaimed on 25 June 1975.
The minister argued that the cooperation now established represents a new chapter in the preservation of a shared memory between the two countries. "The history that separated the two peoples is today the same history that unites us," she said.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/14/desenvolvimento-2/estado-pede-acesso-a-arquivos-militares-portugueses-sobre-a-luta-de-libertacao/
