Mariano Nhongo: “I do not negotiate with those who do not value the lives of those who died for democracy” – Audio

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Mariano Nhongo: “I do not negotiate with those who do not value the lives of those who died for democracy” – Audio

4:00 CAT | 16 Sep 2020

File photo: Voa Portugues

The leader of the self-proclaimed Renamo Military Junta, Mariano Nhongo, this Tuesday (09-15) dismissed any chance of normalising relations with party president Ossufo Momade.

Nhongo also rules out the possibility of being part of the demobilisation and reintegration [DDR] of former Renamo guerrillas, because he considers the process “a new failure”.

Renamo president Ossufo Momade on Monday reiterated his willingness to talk to the dissident leader, Mariano Nhongo, in order to put an end to the armed attacks by the self-proclaimed Renamo Military Junta on roads and villages in the Mozambican provinces of Manica and Sofala.

“If he doesn’t want to talk to Ossufo, let him talk to the party so that his problems may be solved. The appeal that I deliver to my brother (Mariano) Nhongo, is that he return to his senses,” Momade said in Nampula while on a visit to revitalise Renamo’s electoral offices there.

For Afonso Dhlakama’s successor at the head of Mozambique’s largest opposition party, “there is no reason for anyone to take up arms” on account of differences within the party, insisting that the party’s internal organs can resolve any problems.

But Nhongo says that Ossufo Momade’s invitation is “unreasonable”, because he does not recognise Ossufo’s leadership, and because Ossufo “does not value” the fight for genuine democracy.

“If he is in the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) he will not demand that I return home; but if he is in ‘Renamo Unida’ (the faction supposedly created by Ossufo Momade), he can demand that I stop what I am doing,” Nhongo told VOA in a telephone interview.

Trap

“I don’t have time to negotiate with someone who doesn’t value the lives of those who died for democracy,” Nhongo said. The invitation is a trap to hand him over to state forces, he contends.

“If Ossufo (Momade) knew what Renamo’s objective was, he would respect those who died in the war. People did not die for Ossufo (Momade) to travel by plane, they did not die for Ossufo to be driven by car, they did not die for Ossufo to be rich (…) They died so that there is democracy in Mozambique,” Nhongo said, criticising the Renamo president for living in a luxury apartment at a time when “most of the party’s headquarters are closed”.

Oppression

Nhongo rejected the statements made in the Gorongosa mountain range by the special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mirko Manzoni, according to which the demobilisation process was being carried out in “letter and spirit” of what was agreed with historic leader Afonso Dhlakama.

“I don’t take Mirko Manzoni’s calls, because he too was one of the traitors, like Ossufo Momade, and (Filipe) Nyusi. I said ‘You can’t sign the (permanent peace) agreement, there are problems within Renamo’. They thought it was a joke. Now, which DDR is going well? ”

“We are tired of being oppressed,” said Mariano Nhongo in reference to the failure of the Swiss diplomat Manzoni to mediate.

For Nhongo, the new demobilisation process “fails again” by sending the guerrillas home with “zinc (zinc sheets, used to roof houses) and 10,000 meticais (about US$139.00)”.

Source: Voa Portugues