Mozambique: Renamo disrupts President's State of the Nation Address - Watch
DW / Celestino Manuel Jó of Renamo
Renamo has spoken out about incidents ranging from persecution and kidnapping to torture and death. The party chief in Manica considers the situation “worrying”, while Frelimo says its members are also among the victims.
Renamo party members have faced great difficulties in the province of Manica – especially in the districts of Barué, Gondola, Chimoio, Mossurize and Machaze, the head of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) bench in the Provincial Assembly of Manica, Celestino Manuel Jó says, and the situation worries him.
“In the district of Barué it is commonplace. At the beginning of this year we lost a delegate and others were tortured. A delegate at Honde post was barbarously tortured and then killed. Novuto’s delegates were seriously tortured on the 13th of last month,” he reports.
Jó has conveyed his concerns to the governor of Manica, Alberto Ricardo Mondlane, explaining that what he wants is to preserve peace.
“For us, this is a gross breach of the truce, because at the moment each party is free to carry its political activities. But, one way or another, we will continue to restrain ourselves from responding to provocations, because what we want is peace,” Jó says.
Ensuring peace
These episodes come as President Filipe Nyusi and Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama continue to hold talks. On Tuesday the head of state said that the government and the main opposition party were finalising an agreement for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of Renamo fighters in the security forces.
José Manuel Cebola, head of the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) bench, who hold a majority in the Provincial Assembly of Manica, prefers not to go into the details of the accusations. He adds that Frelimo members are also the target of attacks throughout the country.
“We also have reports from some parts of the country, but since there is a joint Renamo-Frelimo commission dealing with these matters, each party should report what is happening, and the joint commission go to the place and deal with them” he says.
Manica’s Governor Mondlane has met Renamo provincial delegate Sofrimento Matequenha to discuss the violence in which members of the two political parties have been involved, and says they are working jointly to end the violence in the province.
“We continue to work with the leaders of the political parties, in particular the Renamo leaders, to ensure the tranquillity and peace of the population in our province,” the governor says.
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