Mozambique: 426 Renamo militiamen demobilised in Manica

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Mozambique: 426 Renamo militiamen demobilised in Manica

3:17 CAT | 25 Mar 2021

Photo: Renamo Moçambique on Facebook

So far 426 members of the militia of Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, have been demobilised in the central province of Manica, according to the provincial governor, Francisca Tomas.

Speaking on Wednesday, at a meeting of the Manica Provincial Assembly, in the district of Gondola, Tomas said the results achieved so far showed the “irreversible commitment” of President Filipe Nyusi and of Renamo leader Ossufo Momade to the demobilisation, disarming and reintegration into society (DDR) of what are delicately referred to as Renamo’s “residual forces”.

The demobilisation in Manica began on 8 March, and was expected to cover 782 members of the Renamo militia.

Tomas said that the 426 demobilised so far include several members of the dissident “Renamo Military Junta”, who have broken with the Junta’s leader, and applied for demobilisation.

Tomas praised all those involved in the DDR “who are working so that the country lives in effective peace – a peace that we all need to build a better Mozambique”.

She called on all the remaining Renamo “residual forces” and those still following the Junta to come out of the bush and join the DDR. “Put down your guns and co-exist with other Mozambicans”, she urged. “Embark upon other development activities, because guns only bring us misfortune. You will be well received in the communities, and the government can accompany the whole process of social reintegration in an environment of peace”.

Manica is the second province covered by the DDR. The demobilisation began in mid-2019, after Nyusi and Momade had signed a peace agreement. But until this month, DDR had moved very slowly and only covered Renamo military bases in the neighbouring province of Sofala.

There are known to be some Renamo “residual forces” in Inhambane, Tete and Zambezia provinces. No time frame has been announced for demobilising these units.

Source: AIM