 The Portuguese troops began to suffer losses in November , fighting in the northern region of <unk> . With increasing support from the populace , and the low number of Portuguese regular troops , FRELIMO was quickly able to advance south towards <unk> and <unk> , linking to Tete with the aid of forces from the neighbouring Republic of Malawi , which had become a fully independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations on July 6 , 1964 . Despite the increasing range of FRELIMO operations , attacks were still limited to small strike teams attacking lightly defended administrative outposts , with the FRELIMO lines of communication and supply utilising canoes along the <unk> River and Lake Malawi . 
