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Mozambique: Renamo satisfied at pace of demobilisation – AIM
1:50 CAT | 31 May 2022
Photo: Bancada Parlamentar da Renamo on Facebook
The leader of Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, Ossufo Momade, declared on Monday that he regards as satisfactory the pace of Renamo satisfied at pace of demobilisation Demobilisation, Disarming and Reintegration (DDR) of former members of the Renamo militia.
DDR was agreed under the general peace agreement that President Filipe Nyusi signed with Momade in August 2019. To date 12 Renamo military bases have been closed, and there remain four to be dismantled. 3,486 former Renamo fighters have been demobilized.
“In achieving this process, we are continuing to work with the government, in the person of President Nyusi”, said Momade, at the opening in Maputo of an Extraordinary Meeting of the Renamo National Council. This is a two day session held under the motto “Renamo preparing for the challenges of 2023/2024”.
DDR had made headway, Momade said, thanks to the commitment of the Renamo leaders and former fighters, of Nyusi and of the international community.
“We can state that, although there are some constraints, such as slowness in implementing some stages, the process is advancing satisfactorily”, he continued. “We would like to recognize the collaboration of the government and of the international community, our partners who are contributing to these advances”.
Momade said that 91 of the demobilized fighters had once belonged to the selfstyled “Renamo Military Junta”. This was a breakaway from Renamo, led by Mariano Nhongo (who promoted himself to the rank of general).
Nhongo had described Momade as “a traitor”, and did not recognise the peace deal with the government.
The Junta mounted sporadic attacks throughout 2020 in the central provinces of Manica and Sofala, mostly against vehicles using the main roads. But after Nhongo died in a clash with the police in October 2021, nothing more was heard of Junta activities.
Momade said followers of Nhongo had joined the DDR thanks to “collective efforts to promote peace and national reconciliation”.
He added that 46 officers from Renamo have now been recruited into the Mozambican police force (PRM) and have concluded their police training. They are now awaiting placements in previously agreed police units.
Momade said that land has been allocated to demobilized fighters, and they have also been given technical and agricultural training.
Momade also expressed Renamo’s concern at the jihadist terrorism affecting parts of the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
“The war waged by the terrorists is still a mystery that needs to be explained”, he declared. Five years had passed since the start of the
terrorist raids, and the defence and security forces “are unable to show us the faces of the terrorists, much less discover the real motives for the barbaric murders they carry out”.
Momade urged the government to help reduce the price of liquid fuels, either by further cutting the taxes on them or by subsidizing fuel
distribution companies. But the government has already claimed that fuel is cheaper in Mozambique than in most other southern African countries
Source: AIM
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