SINCE Mozambique emerged from civil war two decades ago, it has made enormous strides. Though still poor, its income per head has tripled. It has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. It is a darling of aid donors. And its coal and offshore gas reserves have lured pots of foreign investment. So when Renamo, a group led by former guerrillas-turned-politicians who signed a peace accord in 1992, declared on October 21st that “peace is over”, alarm bells jangled. A spate of kidnappings has added to anxieties about security. Rio Tinto, a London-based mining firm, said on November 1st that it was pulling out its expatriate workers’ families.

Trouble has been brewing for at least a year. In December parliament passed a law that gave Frelimo, the party that since 1975 has ruled Mozambique, five of the eight seats reserved for political parties on a new electoral commission. Renamo’s leaders are still sore at its narrow election defeat in 1999, which they put down to fraud. They wanted parity with Frelimo in the commission but their party was given just two seats. In protest Renamo said it would not contest local elections due on November 20th. And it asked for talks with Frelimo that have since come to nothing.

Afonso Dhlakama, Renamo’s veteran leader (pictured above), had already returned to his rebel base in Satunjira, in the forested Gorongosa hills of central Mozambique. Events took a violent turn in April when its militia attacked a police position, killing four policemen. Renamo said it was in response to an army raid on the Satunjira camp. Then in June Renamo threatened to paralyse the railway line from neighbouring Zimbabwe to the port of Beira and to disrupt traffic on the main north-south road. Two people were killed in ambushes shortly after. Transport now has to be protected by military escorts. Mr Dhlakama fled after further clashes around Satunjira on October 17th-21st.

Despite the violence, Renamo has garnered quite a bit of public sympathy. There is support for its demands for electoral reform, an end to Frelimo’s sway over the security forces, the depoliticisation of the civil service and a dividend for all Mozambicans from the country’s burgeoning new wealth from coal and gas.