Mozambican analysts on new format of peace talks: The confidence vote and the masterstroke

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambican analysts on new format of peace talks: The confidence vote and the masterstroke

4:11 CAT | 09 Feb 2017

O País (File photo) / Members of the now extinguished Joint Commission for peace talks seen here in a file photo

Speaking on the weekly STV show ‘Línha Aberta’ on Tuesday, political scientist João Pereira said it was a Frelimo strategy to corner Dhlakama and extract political dividends.

The new format of the political dialogue, consisting of two mixed small teams without mediation, was the theme of this week’s program. The panellists were political scientist João Pereira and researcher Simiao Nhambe, who aired their views on the new path to peace.

In the first analysis, the two agree that the new format agreed by the President of the Republic and the Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, is ideal in the current context.

“Right now, I think it’s the best mechanism. There are few people involved, a direct interaction, though by telephone, between the President of the Republic and President Dhlakama; the issues are clear, the problems are already identified, I now hope that Frelimo and Renamo will find a solution to the country’s problems,” Pereira said, pointing to reforms in the political system that would have an impact and benefit the entire country.

On the other hand, Simiao Nhambe argues that the new format of the dialogue should have a vision of long-term solutions, which are a commitment to national reconciliation at all levels, since this was the “Achilles heel” of previous dialogue formats.

“I want to believe that, of all the models applied for the search for peace since 1994, one thing that failed was the question of reconciliation, especially when we look at reconciliation in a single perspective, a perspective in which, after a war of 16 years, we think that reconciliation is limited only to hand shakes or embraces among belligerents, forgetting that in fact all the Mozambican people have to be reconciled in all aspects,” Nhambe said, stressing the need for better social and economic reintegration of those who were worst affected.

The context for the dialogue

The two panellists said they thought that the new phase was more likely to bring results than the previous dialogue process involving a Joint Commission and mediators, because, according to them, the president had now strengthened powers that favour the imposition of his intentions.

“There is no longer a contradiction between the President’s speech and the party’s speech. There is clarity that we more and more have to go in the same direction. When the President begins to make changes in counterintelligence, for example, it gives him strength not only at the level of state apparatus, but also at the level of the party (Frelimo),” Pereira said.

Nhambe argued along the same lines.

“Last year, what the President said was openly contradicted within his party. We remember very well that at some point the Political Commission was dispatched to say the opposite of what the President’s pronouncements were, and one did not know whether he in fact had complete and full control of what was said and of the party itself, but now it is possible” Nhambe said.

Master stroke

João Pereira felt that Frelimo had accomplished a “master stroke” leading to the political isolation of Afonso Dhlakama, and giving time for the new machinery directed by Filipe Nyusi to settle in the national political system.

“I think it was a great masterstroke on the part of the President and Frelimo, for two reasons. First, by creating all the conditions for President Dhlakama to stay in the bush, for one very simple reason. After the announcement of the 2014 election results, it appeared that the man was much more popular than President Nyusi, and at that time, much of Mozambican society, mainly in the central and northern regions, was not clear about who had won the elections.”

In this way, it was strategic for Frelimo to “force Dhlakama to go into the woods and let President Nyusi gain legitimacy, to be sworn in and control the state apparatus. And he is gradually controlling the party and increasing his presence also.”

Source: O País