Adaptive Mediation and Conflict Resolution in Contemporary and Future Armed Conflicts

Abstract

Mozambique has faced several cycles of violent conflict and decades of peace negotiations resulting in three main peace agreements: the 1992 General Peace Agreement, the 2014 Cessation of Military Hostilities Agreement, and the 2019 Maputo Accord for Peace and Reconciliation. This chapter will examine the adaptive nature of the 2013–2019 peace process while extracting the key factors and strategies that enabled the signature of a new peace agreement on August 6, 2019. Adaptive mediation and a nationally owned direct dialogue were essential amid increasing complexity and uncertainty. The effectiveness of the later stage of the mediation process resulted from a discreet and adaptive mediation strategy that accentuated the agency, interdependence, and direct dialogue between both parties, making it possible for peace to emerge from within.