man";mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">After independence from Portugal in
1975, many white ethnic Portuguese left the city. Mozambique was ravaged by a
civil war from 1977 to 1992, opposing Marxist FRELIMO, which controlled the
government, to the rebels of RENAMO, descending to near total chaos in a couple
of years. The famine, disease and poverty-stricken country collapsed. In the
city of Beira, its famous Grande Hotel was occupied by around 1,000 homeless
Beirans, and by the end of the civil war it was in near-ruins.
The 2000
Mozambique flood devastated Beira and the surrounding region, leaving millions
homeless and severely damaging the local economy
