Mozambique: Renamo military base in Montepuez closed

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Mozambique: Renamo military base in Montepuez closed

3:44 CAT | 18 Aug 2022

Photo: Twitter / @ONUMocambique

444 former guerrillas of Mozambique’s largest opposition party, Renamo, were demobilized on Wednesday in Montepuez district in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

This was the 13th Renamo military base closed under the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, agreed by the government and Renamo as part of the General Peace Agreement of August 2019. According to Renamo’s own figures, only three bases remain to be closed.

As with the entire DDR process, the decision to close the base was jointly agreed upon by the government and Renamo, with field activities overseen by the Military Affairs Commission and the Joint Technical Groups set up by the two former belligerents.

READ: Statement from the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Mozambique and President of the Contact Group

“With this development, the DDR has reached 77% of its intended beneficiaries”, says a Wednesday statement from the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy to Mozambique and Chairperson of the Contact Group between the government and Renamo, Mirko Manzoni.

“We commend the continued positive collaboration between the Government and Renamo”, said Manzoni. “The disarmament and demobilization phase of the implementation of the Maputo Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement is drawing to a close, and efforts to support reintegration must continue”.

According to Manzoni, peace in Mozambique brings benefits to all sectors of society, and all stakeholders can contribute to peace.

“The stabilization of the security situation in Cabo Delgado over the past year has made today’s achievement possible, and the closure of this base gives renewed hope that peace and stability are returning to the region”, said Manzoni, stressing that it is also a reflection on the country’s peacebuilding model, through national and regional solutions.

Manzoni concluded with a pledge that the United Nations remains committed to supporting the people of Mozambique in building a more prosperous future.

Most of what are politely referred to as Renamo’s “residual forces” were concentrated in the central provinces of Mania and Sofala. It comes as something of a surprise to learn that over 400 ex-Renamo guerrillas were living in Montepuez. There are no reports of this group taking part in any military activity since the first peace agreement was signed, in October 1992.

Watch the Miramar report.