SUMMARY

The Naparama movement, meaning “vaccinated” and “irresistible force”, was a volunteer militia army fighting in Mozambique against the rebel group Renamo (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana; Mozambican National Resistance). The group was also known under alternative pronunciations as Barama, Naprama or Parama. The movement was the inspiration for the creation of a group by the same name that was active in the early 2020s, during the conflict with the Islamic State.

The movement was formed in late 1989 or early 1990 in Mozambique’s central and northern regions of Nampula-Zambézia to defend rural communities against Renamo. At the time, Renamo was engaged in a long and violent civil war against the Government and committed numerous atrocities against the civilian population of Mozambique. Its first leader and founder was Manuel António, a mysterious traditional healer who claimed to have returned from the dead with a divine mission from God to “rid the nation of war”.

Antonio attracted followers by convincing them that he could make them invulnerable to bullets by applying a vaccine from a secret plant with a razor blade. He quickly gained a large group of followers that had grown to 20 000 men by the end of 1990. The militia began attacking Renamo bases using only traditional weapons such as spears, knives, bows and arrows since the movement initially rejected the use of firearms. This policy was somewhat lifted towards the end of 1991 as the Naparama began using captured Renamo weapons against them. Most Naparamas wore simple loincloths with only a red ribbon on their person identifying them as part of the movement.

Although more anti-Renamo than being pro-Government, the Naparama often openly cooperated against Renamo with the governmental army. The government assisted the group with logistical support and was often consulted by the Naparama before operations were undertaken. Renamo soldiers and weapons that had been captured by the Naparama were frequently handed over to the government. Areas that had been taken and cleared of Renamo soldiers were promptly given to the government forces to assert control.

António led the movement until he died in late 1991 in a Renamo ambush. After his death, the group fragmented with some units defecting to Renamo while others turned to freelance banditry. Some of the latter units were led by Commander Cinco and became indiscriminate in their attacks against Renamo, government forces and international relief workers. This later prompted the government to ban the Naparama and authorise military force against the group.

Although the largest civilian massacres were attributed to Renamo, the Naparama were also implicated in several instances of one-sided violence against civilians. Evidence on this is however not clear, which is why the one-sided violence in which Naparama has most likely been involved in is not included in the UCDP data.

Naparama has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.