Police accuses Renamo of new ambush against a bus in central Mozambique

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Police accuses Renamo of new ambush against a bus in central Mozambique

2:34 CAT | 24 May 2016

Lusa (File photo) / Mozambican police

The Mozambican police yesterday accused Renamo of a new ambush on a bus in the centre of the country which has left six injured, reported Radio Mozambique.

According to the spokesman of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique in Sofala province, quoted by the public broadcaster, the attack occurred in the morning between Save and Muxungué, one of the two National-1 (main road of the country) sections, subject to mandatory military convoys.

Despite the willingness expressed by the leader of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), Afonso Dhlakama, to return to peace talks, the last week was marked by an abnormal number of attacks by armed men in the centre of the country attributed by the authorities of the opposition.

According to the newspaper, Notícias, six people were injured in three attacks on three buses on Saturday between Zero and Posto campo, in Zambezia province.

Also last week, according to Mozambican largest daily, four people died and five were seriously wounded in ambushes attributed to Renamo in central Mozambique.

The armed police also blamed the opposition men for the murder of two leaders of the local administration in Samoa, in Tete province, last week.

The return of the attacks on the roads of central Mozambique, after a period of lull, held in parallel with Dhlakama’s notice of acceptance to resume the peace talks with the government with a view to a meeting at the highest level with the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi.

After the first ambushes in central Mozambique earlier this year, the military authorities set up a system of mandatory escorts in two sections of the N1 in Sofala province.

Renamo justifies attacks against public transport buses with the argument that they are being used to move military of the Defence and Security Forces to attack the armed opposition wing’s positions.

Negotiations between the Mozambican government and Renamo have been stalled for several months after the largest opposition party withdrew on the grounds of a lack of progress and what it saw as a lack of sincerity on behalf of the government.

The suspension of the dialogue was accompanied by a worsening of political violence, with clashes between Renamo and security forces, as well as mutual accusations of abductions and assassinations on both sides and attacks on civilian targets in the centre of the country attributed by the authorities to the opposition’s military wing.

As a condition of returning to the negotiating table, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama has stipulated the involvement as mediators of the European Union, the Catholic church and the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma.

The Mozambican President convened for Wednesday the first meeting of the committee made up of government and Renamo with the aim of resuming the peace dialogue in Mozambique.

Upon arriving from his visit to China on Sunday Nyusi considered that the dialogue must be accompanied by the end of military actions Renamo.

“The important thing is to first stop the weapons that kill Mozambicans”, he said.

Source: Lusa