Mozambique: “Renamo and the entire opposition need to reconfigure themselves”

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: “Renamo and the entire opposition need to reconfigure themselves”

2:13 CAT | 17 Jun 2020

File photo: DW

French historian Michel Cahen said this Tuesday (16.06) that Renamo needs to rethink its performance if it is not to lose any more elections, and not only mobilise support at voting time.

During a webinar entitled “The Post-Dhlakama Renamo”, historian Michel Cahen advocated greater National Resistance Mozambique (Renamo) ‘sharpness’ in the country’s political and social life.

“Renamo and the entire opposition need to reconfigure themselves, so that they do not reach the 2024 general elections weakened and lose again,” said Cahen.

The main opposition party, in his opinion, should maintain a permanent role in the political and social life of communities, expressing people’s sentiment and presenting alternative policies.

“Renamo must also function outside of electoral periods, and assume to itself the role of a union of people contesting Frelimo’s clientelism and abuses.”

Renamo failed to reach the leadership of the country

A strong challenge to the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo), which has been in power for 45 years, would also necessitate a generational change in the opposition leadership, because the Renamo power elite had failed to rise to the challenge of leadership.

“There has to be a generational reconfiguration in the opposition, to allow the emergence of new ideas, because the current generation has not been able to contest Frelimo’s hegemony,” Cahen says.

Cahen said that if the main opposition party settled for a secondary role in Mozambican politics, it would end up becoming irrelevant and distancing itself from its social base and from the urban electorate disenchanted with Frelimo.

Ossufo Momade, “an urban military man”

The historian classified the current leader of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, as “a moderate”, noting that he accepted the legal status of leader of the Mozambican opposition rejected by his predecessor Afonso Dhlakama.

On the other hand, Momade last year signed the Peace and Cessation of Military Hostilities Agreement with the President Filipe Nyusi, and committed himself to the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of Renamo’s armed wing, the historian noted.

The fact that Ossufo Momade is “an urban military man”, an important commander of the Renamo guerrilla during the civil war that ended in 1992 who then left the bush for life in the country’s capital, gives him a less radical image than that of Afonso Dhlakama.

Momadem — Ossufo Momade, president of Renamo

Dhlakama was the owner of Renamo

“Afonso Dhlakama was able to be a political leader in the city and a military man from the forest,” Cahen says.

Afonso Dhlakama, who died in 2018 after about 40 years at the head of Renamo, ran the organization as owner and not just as president, the historian contends, which explains the lack of challenge to his leadership.

“Afonso Dhlakama never wanted a Number Two in the leadership of Renamo. He was not only the president of the party, he was also the owner,” Cahen says.

Renamo has lost all six multi-party general elections held in Mozambique to Frelimo.

Source: Deutsche Welle