Despite a drop in support from South Africa, RENAMO's reign of terror continued throughout the 1980's, reportedly killing at least 100,000 and creating at least 1,000,000 refugees.  Particularly hard hit were Mozambique's railways, for which the government had to bring in foreign troops to protect from RENAMO attacks.  The combination of these attacks, the government's failed Marxist policies, and natural disasters led to Mozambique's economic and social deterioration.  These pressures on the Mozambique government led to governmental reform and the expansion of the political process to other parties.  RENAMO's armed insurgency against the FRELIMO regime officially came to an end on October 4th, 1992, when the two groups signed a peace accord, formally ending the civil war. <P> Despite continuing disagreements over the implementation of the peace accord and the integration of RENAMO into the Mozambican political process, the disarmament of RENAMO progressed in the early 1990's with the help of the United Nations, and thousands of its fighters were integrated into the Mozambican Armed Forces.  RENAMO finally participated in nationwide elections in 1994, gaining 37.7 percent of the vote and maintaining a generally regional base of support in the North and Central regions.  Despite periodic complaints of violent voter fraud and intimidation, RENAMO appears to have successfully transformed into solely a political organization.

The Muadh Ibn Jabal Brigade is an organization in Iraq responsible for two high profile kidnappings in 2005. The group borrows its name from Muadh Ibn Jabal, a prominent figure in Islam and one of the first generation Prophet's Companions, or those who had direct contact with the Prophet Muhammed before his death in 632. It is said that Jabal was one of Muhammed's most devout and promising pupils.<br /><p><br />Despite the group's use of Jabal's name, its attacks and demands suggest that religion is simply a mask for their true financial motivations. The Brigade's first kidnapping involved French journalist Florence Aubenas, her Iraqi translator, and a ransom that was reported to have been from $1 million to as high as $15 million, according to various sources. The French government publicly denied that it gave into the demands of the terrorists, who released the hostages nearly half a year after they were captured.<br /><p><br />The second kidnapping attributed to the Muadh Ibn Jabal Brigade, which involved three Romanian journalists and their Iraqi translator, was exposed to be an elaborate ransom operation soon after the hostages were freed. Initially, it was reported that the journalists' Iraqi-American translator, Mohammed Munaf, was a victim as well. However, in the days following the ordeal, allegations surfaced that implicated Munaf and his business associate, Omar Hayssam, in planning the abduction. In this case, sources reported that as much as $9 million was necessary to secure the release of the hostages.<br /><p><br />Muadh Ibn Jabal Brigade may have many aliases and cells, all of which are thought to be led by a shadowy figure named Abu Sahar.<br />