The Role of Land Conflict and Land Conflict Resolution in a Peace Process: Mozambique's Return to Agriculture

Abstract

The massive return and reintegration of refugees and displaced persons in Mozambique (the largest in the histoy of Africa) has pushed land tenure issues to the fore in the county's peace process. While land re-access for the six million dislocatees is critical for food, security and political stability, conflict over land resources has become a primary concern of the government and both the regional and international community participating in Mozambique's recovery. Based on data recently collected over a year-and-a-half in Mozambique, this paper will look at the problematic issues of land access, land conflict, and land conflict resolution emerging from the recent 16 year war, and highlight the role of organizations from the national to the international, in land conflict resolution.