Mirko Manzoni considers Matsangaissa Júnior’s requests “normal”

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Mirko Manzoni considers Matsangaissa Júnior’s requests “normal”

6:50 CAT | 12 Mar 2021

FILE - Mirko Manzoni. [File photo: Sala da Paz]

The Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Mozambique, Mirko Manzoni, considers the requests made by André Matsangaissa Júnior concerning the peace process to be “normal”.

“It is normal, if the Junta shows a willingness to disarm (…) as was the case when Afonso Dhlakama declared a truce,” Manzoni is quoted by the electronic newspaper ‘Redactor’ as saying.

Even so, Manzoni stressed that “the Defence and Security Forces of Mozambique are committed to defending the population. The security forces are doing their job”. For this reason, he stressed. “I think these are arguments which cannot be used to say we are going to disarm or not. Let’s get out of the woods or not.”

Manzoni told ‘Redactor’ that Matsangaissa Junior’s press conference, at which the former Junta member spoke about the group led by Mariano Nhongo and the DDR process, was organised on his own and his family’s initiative.

He was speaking after the press conference at a Maputo resort, where Matsangaissa entered the room accompanied by Manzoni.

“We as the United Nations are committed to the security of André Matsangaissa, in the same way as happens to all people who adhere to the peace process, but those who prepared Matsangaissa’s meeting with some journalists were directly his family,” the diplomat said, adding that it was not possible to prevent Matsangaissa from speaking, since he is now free.

“He said that he would like to talk about the disarmament process of […] the Renamo Military Junta. As it is impossible to avoid, because it is his right to speak, because he is now a free person, so he did speak,” Manzoni added.

On the insistence of ‘Redactor’, Manzoni revealed that the most recent Junta dissident is staying with family members in Maputo, namely “an uncle, a brother and a third person”.

Mirko Manzoni denied that Matsangaissa had been captured. “He was not captured. It does not correspond to the truth that he was captured, as some media say. Now we are talking to others to join the DDR, including Mariano Nhongo, because that is the best alternative.”

Matsangaissa’s list of requests

Here are the main points of André Matsangaissa’s press conference in Maputo on Tuesday.

That the Government declare a definitive truce in favour of the members of the Junta so that they can leave the forests in safety and return to their families.

That Parliament approve an amnesty law in favour of Junta members and to defend the military and Mozambicans and ensure peaceful adherence to the DDR process;

That the elements of the FDS deployed there “to pursue the Military Junta” be removed from the central zone in order to allow Junta activists to leave safely;

He expressed faith in the achievement of effective peace in Mozambique;

He recognises Ossufo Momade as the President of Renamo, but does not rule out the possibility of running for party leadership in the future;

He states that his objective is that “there be no division between Renamo and the Military Junta”;

He emphasised that “soon Mozambicans will know where and how the leader of the Junta is”, referring to him as Major General Mariano Nhongo.

Matsangaissa claimed that many members of the Junta are still in the woods only “due to their persecution by the FDS, but also due to the contempt with which the Junta was treated by the leadership of Renamo”.

He called for everyone to focus on the DDR, and creating “security conditions” for that purpose.

Source: Sala da Paz / Redactor