Cardinal Matteo Zuppi in Mozambique to speak about 30 years of the General Peace Agreement

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Cardinal Matteo Zuppi in Mozambique to speak about 30 years of the General Peace Agreement

1:45 CAT | 08 Aug 2022

File photo: Domingo

Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, mediator of the dialogue that culminated in the signing of the General Peace Agreement for Mozambique (AGP), arrives in Maputo this week to participate in an event organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio commemorating 30 years of peace.

READ: “Positive results” from peace with Renamo signed three years ago

According to Chiara Turrine, representative of the Sant’Egidio Community in Mozambique, the Italian bishop is coming to Maputo to share his experience in participating as a mediator in one of the most successful peace negotiations worldwide.

To this end, a conference is planned for Friday, August 12th, in Maputo Cathedral, under the theme: “Conference of 30 Years of Peace, A Legacy for the Future”.

The debate will be moderated by Brazão Mazula, the first president of the National Elections Commission, which led the first multiparty elections in 1994.

The AGP was signed by former Mozambican head of state Joaquim Chissano and the late Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama in Rome, Italy, in 1992, ending the 16-year armed conflict that killed around one million people and left five million displaced.

Matteo Zuppi was one of the first people to participate in the movement that started the negotiation process. He contacted the late Archbishop of Beira Dom Jaime Gonçalves, who took on the task of getting in touch with Afonso Dhlakama. It was a convoluted process, but worthwhile, as, after several discussion meetings, the AGP was finally signed on Sunday, October 4, 1992 – Saint Francis’ Day in the Catholic calendar.

The negotiation process started in July, 1990, and extended to several rounds. The agreement was initially scheduled to be signed on the 1st of October, but signing was postponed until the 4th of the same month.

To ensure the success of the AGP, Dom Matteo Zuppi played a large role in bringing together for negotiations delegations headed by Armando Guebuza, for the government, and Raul Domingos, from Renamo.

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Source: Jornal Domingo