Before Germany’s reunification in 1989, Mozambique was the primary recipient of East Germany’s development aid. An attack in 1984, in Unango, Niassa province, marked a turning point in their bilateral partnership.
At the time of the attack, the East German government was implementing one of the largest African agricultural projects in Mozambique. East Germany, officially known as Germany Democratic Republique (GDR), had planned projects covering 120,000 hectares at various locations across the country. But the attack halted everything. A total of eight GDR citizens, a Yugoslav development worker, and five Mozambicans died during the attack. To this day, it is unclear who carried out the armed attack.
The GDR had sent Manfred Grunewald, an agricultural expert, to Unango’s project. Luckily, he was in the Mozambican capital Maputo at the time of the attack and was about to fly home at the airport when he heard the news.
DW: What exactly happened that morning in December when GDR experts accompanied by the Mozambican army drove from Lichinga, their place of residence, towards Unango, the project site’s location?
Manfred Grunewald: One can say so much. But in the first three months, we were guarded during our trips to the agricultural production site because, unlike in the past, the RENAMO [National Resistance of Mozambique] rebel movement suddenly showed up in the north. RENAMO did not attack any strategically important military targets; instead, they brutally attacked the population and often forced entire villages to evacuate.
Was it only the GDR experts who died?
No, the attackers killed seven Germans on the spot; two others were seriously injured. A Yugoslav employee and five Mozambicans, including two guards, also died. It’s not that the guards disappeared and didn’t shoot at all. They were also killed because they resisted.
Did the two who were injured survive?
The seriously injured one was brought to Maputo in a small plane and was operated on there. He died of his injuries ten days later. One suspects a dum-dum bullet [a deformation bullet; that expands and tears down body organs and tissue upon entry into body tissue]. That means that the attackers used projectiles. They had long been banned in warfare even then. The other injured person was shot through the leg. He traveled home with us and survived.
That interesting because the other dead are rarely even mentioned in the reports here in Germany. What happened in the following days?
We fear that there were more deaths, but we have not found out who else is included in the reports. This sudden terrorist attack, which resulted in so many people’s deaths, also meant that this project had to be stopped overnight in all of Mozambique, and the GDR withdrew its entire staff. However, there were snipers at work who did not even allow the machines and various other work bases to be removed. And the Mozambicans have not been able to do any further work.
Was there a moment after your return where you and the bereaved relatives offered help to cope with the trauma?
As far as I know, the dead men’s wives got sick leaves. The funeral expenses were paid for, and so were the funeral advertisements in the local newspapers. There was also an orphan’s pension for the children and the widow’s pension. Insofar as this was given in the GDR legal framework, but there was no special support either before or after the fall of the Wall. There were no offers to deal with trauma.
On the contrary, it wasn’t even investigated. So, at no time has the state, neither the GDR nor the Federal Republic, at the state level, a public prosecutor, etc…. done anything to investigate this terrorist attack. What disappointed me most was that society took in little or nothing of what happened there.
Do you still wish that the attack at Unango should be solved?
First of all, I would like the German side to not only proceed in a formal legal manner but also to think about how one can use public relations to appreciate the achievements of the experts at the time. Second, there is still something that can be done to clear up this dilemma. Who was behind it, that our group was attacked in such a way and paid for their efforts for a good cause with their lives? Incidentally, there is no one among our group who hates or dislikes the people of Mozambique.
On the contrary, we know some elements wanted to disrupt development. And if there is always only war and terror, then humanity cannot develop normally. That would have been a possibility. In Niassa, whether under socialism or capitalism, one could have produced enough food products, also for the market. We had already set up two shops selling vegetables and charcoal. Something had really got going there, and it shouldn’t have been destroyed. That’s what I blame the Mozambican elements that destroyed this.
Ten years ago, there was a film on the [German public broadcaster] MDR, and we were involved. A RENAMO representative from Lichinga denied any responsibility and said, “a lot happens in the context of a war. But we did not carry out this attack.” Mozambique cannot withdraw into that position and say that we have given amnesty. We’re not investigating anything anymore. We have the right to have our rights therein Mozambique examined further. Even if these people are long dead, their children are now grownups. The dead now have grandchildren. They want to know what happened back then.
The interview was conducted by Johannes Beck
Manfred Grunewald was an agricultural expert from the former German Democratic Republic (GDR).