Alleged death squads: Liberation Struggle Veterans accuse Renamo of making a wild headlong rush

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Alleged death squads: Liberation Struggle Veterans accuse Renamo of making a wild headlong rush

4:20 CAT | 01 Nov 2016

Noticias (File photo)

The veterans association ACLLN [Combatants’ Association of National Liberation Struggle of Mozambique] on Thursday accused Renamo of fuite en avant tactics, creating death squads to harass and murder defenceless citizens and attributing responsibility to the democratically elected government.

ACLLN also rebuked the Renamo parliamentary bench for using the Assembly of the Republic as a pulpit for “cheap propaganda”, with party bench head Ivone Soares baselessly accusing the government of creating death squads.

According to the veterans, Renamo was “very unfortunate” in its accusations, as all Mozambicans know who the illegal holder weapons is, and who it is that persecutes defenceless citizens, assails villages and loots the population’s assets, breaks into hospitals and steals drugs, mutilating people and destroying socio-economic infrastructure, seeking at all costs to derail the Government’s efforts to create well-being for all.

“We consider the allegations of Ivone Soares ridiculous and baseless. We warn Renamo that the people are not distracted. The people knows that it is Renamo and its leader Afonso Dhlakama who orders assassinations of people and flatly refuses to leave the woods and join society’s efforts for an open and constructive dialogue aimed at achieving effective peace in the country,” ACLLN Secretary-General Fernando Faustino said.

He said that death squads created by Renamo continued to persecute teachers and nurses, preventing them from carrying out their duties and depriving thousands of children and adults of these basic services. Such squads, according to Faustino, persecute and murder fighters of the national liberation struggle, Frelimo party members, community leaders, and heads of activist groups, and shoot journalists pursuing their professional activities in a futile effort to discredit the Government.

Faustino advised the head of the Renamo bench in the National Assembly and party members to convince their leader, Afonso Dhlakama to stop ordering such killings, as the only way to achieve peace and welfare for all Mozambicans.

“Ivone Soares does not understand anything about politics. It is not the first time she has used the Assembly of the Republic as a stage to make cheap political propaganda. In the future, [the Assembly] will need to rethink new regulations in order to end this disorder. Furthermore, it will be necessary to hold responsible this baseless accuser and those who want to denigrate public figures using the Assembly of the Republic”, he said.

Regarding kidnappings and deaths linked to Renamo, Faustino likened them to bandits groups linked to the political party, creating panic and destabilisation.

“Bandits like these exist in all countries, including the most developed. These bandits are persecuted here as in other countries, and, when caught, brought to justice,” Faustino said.

The ACLLN secretary-general appealed to all members and the general population to be vigilant against Renamo’s manoeuvre of carrying out actions aimed at creating disorder and then blaming the government.

“Let us be alert, companions. Let us not be distracted. Renamo is the author of all unmentionable crimes in this country. [Let us] Neutralise this group, that aims to eliminate the combatants [veterans] and all members of Frelimo, that intends to destroy all that has been achieved with effort and sacrifice. These are the real terrorists, whose acts will not go unpunished. The people will know how to serve justice upon them,” he said.

Source: Noticias