Mozambique: 60 former Renamo fighters demobilised in Sofala – AIM report

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Mozambique: 60 former Renamo fighters demobilised in Sofala – AIM report

3:23 CAT | 18 Jun 2020

File photo: For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Moz 24h]

60 former guerrillas from Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, natives of the district of Muanza, in the central province of Sofala, have received building materials, agricultural tools, clothing and other goods, as part of the programme to demobilise and disarm the Renamo militia, and reintegrate its members into civilian life.

According to a report in the Beira daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”, the 60 men had been stationed at a Renamo base known as “Pombo Verde” (“Green Pigeon”) in Dondo district. The men have also received three months’ demobilisation pay, though the paper gave no figures for the sums involved.

“Pombo Verde” is presumably the same base in Dondo visited recently by an inspection team including representatives of the government, of Renamo, and of the international Contact Group, set up to facilitate the dialogue between the two parties. Mirko Manzoni, the head of the Contact Group, and the special envoy to Mozambique of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, issued a statement saying that the base was found to be empty, with no people and no weapons.

He regarded this as a success for the demobilisation, and pledged that the Contact Group would continue working to ensure the closure of all Renamo bases.

Manzoni did not say how many men had been at the base, where they had gone or what had happened to their weapons, but the “Diario de Mocambique” report may fill in some of the gaps.

At Muanza, each one of the demobilised fighters received eight sheets of zinc, eight wooden beams, a hoe, a machete, a saw, and asserted domestic utensils and items of clothing. Among those witnessing the event was the Muanza district administrator, Antonio Medita, and the chairperson of the Sofala Provincial Assembly, Antonia Charre.

One of the demobilised fighters, Joao Sande, said they had handed over their weapons at Savane, in Dondo district. He did not say how many weapons were surrendered.

“Today we have returned to our origins (in Muanza) to receive building materials in order to start a new life”, he said. “I shall use the money I received to buy cement and build my house, since we already have beams and zinc sheets”.

Pedro Muchanga, who had commanded the “Pombo Verde” base, said he was happy, and called on other Renamo guerrillas to come out of the bush and return to their communities. In particular, he urged the followers of the dissident “Renamo Military Junta”, to abandon their military attacks.

“We went into the bush to fight for our rights, and today we’re enjoying them”, said Muchanga. “So we have nothing to do with them (the Junta), and I take this opportunity to invite them to end their atrocities”.

Antonio Medita said the 60 men had come to Muanza in two batches of 30 and both had handed over their guns in Savane. “These are men who, when they were registered in Savane, identified themselves as residents of Muanza. So the building material has been sent here, where they had to present themselves to receive it”.

Under the peace agreement signed by President Filipe Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade, on 6 August last year, all Renamo bases should have been dismantled by 21 August.

But so far we only know of one base that has been dismantled. No list of Renamo bases, and of the number of fighters in each one, has ever been published.

Source: AIM