Mozambique’s peace process is widely seen as a success, but it is also very unusual. There were no trials or truth commission, and instead of looking back the stress was on acceptance and moving forward. Why did Mozambique’s peace process work so well? Was the Mozambican situation unique, or are there lessons for other post-war transitions?

In a new and unusual book, Lucia van den Bergh, who was AWEPA representative in Maputo at the end of the war, returns to interview people she worked with at the time, 15 years ago. They reflect on the transition from war to peace and from fighting forces to parliamentary parties, suggesting what interventions were successful and why. Religious leaders, members of parliament, and ordinary people look back and discuss why the peace held and what it means for Mozambique today.