Hanlon: Facing rigidity on both sides, mediators take break – Mozambique

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Hanlon: Facing rigidity on both sides, mediators take break – Mozambique

8:40 CAT | 25 Aug 2016

Faced with inflexibility on both sides and no progress at a six hour session yesterday (Wednesday), mediators announced they were taking a break and would only return to Mozambique on 12 September. O Pais (25 Aug) pointed to the “visible nervousness of the mediation team, particularly Mario Raffaelli, team coordinator”, at the end of the session at 22.00 in Hotel Avenida.

Talks Monday and yesterday were about some form of truce or ceasefire. The mediators had agreed among themselves that as they had met president Filipe Nyusi face-to-face, they should go to Gorongosa to meet Afonso Dhlakama. And in discussions, both Frelimo and Renamo agreed in such a trip required a truce. The mediators’ proposal called for a “demilitarized corridor” or “other safer and more effective way” to allow the mediators to go to Gorongosa. But Dhlakama said he would only agree to such a corridor if the government withdrew its troops surrounding his base on the Gorongosa mountain, because without that there could be no guarantee of security. But government said it would not withdraw because that would allow Renamo to take advantage of the truce. In particular, government forces occupy some former Renamo bases, which they do not want Renamo to re-occupy. On this point there was no movement. (Noticias, O Pais, AIM 23, 24, 25 Aug)

Defence Minister Atanasio M’tumuke used a speech 24 August to stress his opposition to any withdrawal of soldiers from Gorongosa. “The defence forces are not subject to requests or messages for withdrawal from positions and locations where there are attacks, because they are in compliance with the tasks enshrined in the Constitution,” he said. (O Pais 25 Aug) This seemed a message aimed at the mediators, that he would send troops where he wanted. And it raises a question as to whether President Nyusi has power over M’tumuke, or if he is taking orders from a hard line group in the Frelimo Political Commission. It is the army which is surrounding the Gorongosa mountain and sporadically shelling it, but it is a police paramilitary unit FIR which is doing the actual fighting against Renamo. FIR and the police are under the Minister of Interior, and it appears Nyusi has more control there.

On Thursday morning (today, 25 August) the mediators released a copy of the ceasefire proposal that they had given to the two sides. Just one page and with little detail, it included a call for “the suspension of all hostilities and all forms of violence across the country”, including in Gorongosa, and for an international verification mission to monitor the ceasefire. (Zitamar, AIM En 25 Aug)

By: Joseph Hanlon

Source: News reports & clippings