Democracy is under threat in Mozambique – Opposition leader in the Netherlands

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Democracy is under threat in Mozambique – Opposition leader in the Netherlands

4:42 CAT | 05 Dec 2019

Photo: Sala da Paz

The president of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), Ossufo Momade, has said during a visit to The Netherlands that democracy is under threat in Mozambique.

“We are here in the Netherlands to look for partnerships, and warn the world that democracy is under threat [in Mozambique] and in danger of regressing, which would be bad for the well-being of Mozambicans,” he said in a statement.

The leader of Mozambique’s largest opposition party added that “the end of democracy is not just Renamo’s problem. The end of democracy in Mozambique will [be] a setback for the whole of society. That is why we are committed to continuing working, so that democracy does not die.”

“We cannot allow one political party do just anything it wants in the country,” Momade says, making reference to the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo), which has been in power since independence and which saw its leadership strengthened in the October 15 elections.

The Renamo leader began a working visit to the Netherlands on Monday, accompanied by senior members of the party, members of the political commission and deputies.

The visit takes place while the ruling of the Constitutional Council (CC) of Mozambique on the results of the general election is still pending. Renamo has rejected the results, alleging widespread fraud, although postponing any official position until after the CC final declaration, which should be known in the coming days.

In the Netherlands, Momade has already visited the Dutch Institute for Multiparty Democracy and the parliament, and has held meetings with representatives of that country’s election commission.

He is also scheduled to hold meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, political parties, municipal managers and academics, the statement added.

Ossufo Momade argues that “the demobilisation of the military is a priority for Renamo”, calling for every former guerrilla to have the opportunity to “return home with dignity,” yesterday’s statement reads.

“This [the DDR] process requires a lot of patience and attention, so we insist that our men be [placed] in all branches of the Defence and Security Forces,” he reiterates.

These include SISE, the Mozambican secret intelligence services, “because that is where the manoeuvres to destabilise the country are carried out, such as the persecution of members of political parties, civil society, electoral manoeuvers, among others,” Momad said.

Momade has also distanced himself from military incursions which have been affecting the central region of the country, attributing them to dissident Renamo guerrillas led by Mariano Nhongo.

“These people are acting on their own. Renamo remains focused on implementing the agreements signed in the context of demilitarisation, disarmament and reintegration,” he concluded.

The measures are part of the peace agreement signed on August 6 by Ossufo Momade and Filipe Nyusi, the Mozambican president.

Source: Lusa