President accuses Renamo of threatening populations in central Mozambique

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President accuses Renamo of threatening populations in central Mozambique

3:09 CAT | 12 Jun 2019

Photo: O País

President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi has said that Renamo men are threatening the population in the provinces of Tete and Manica and hindering local development. Renamo denies the accusation.

President Filipe Nyusi said on Tuesday that Renamo men were menacing the population in Tete and Manica, an accusation which the main opposition force has denied. Renamo’s Secretary-General André Magibire said Renamo is not threatening people

Speaking at a rally in Zóbuè, Tete province, central Mozambique, the head of state said: “There are Renamo men in the bush threatening the people. We have this problem in Moatize [province of Tete] and in the district of Bàrué [Manica].”

The alleged threats by armed Renamo men in these regions was delaying local development, as people were afraid to move freely.

“In one of these districts, we were left with three to five closed schools for a long time, because the children were afraid of going to school. Mozambicans cannot be prevented from moving freely,” Nyusi said, adding that, if the situation continued, the authorities would be told to take action.

Contacted by Lusa, Renamo secretary-general André Magibire called the head of state’s statements deplorable, and said that Renamo was not threatening the population.

“Renamo is for peace and its soldiers are for the truce. There are no Renamo soldiers going around shooting,” he said, adding that the president’s remarks were part of political campaigning just months before the general election.

“Within the framework of the negotiations, a committee was set up to monitor truces and agreements. Why did the president not talk to the commission to investigate these alleged threats?” Magibire asks.

The Mozambican government and Renamo continue to negotiate a definitive peace in Mozambique, with parties expected to sign a peace agreement in the country by August, before the October 15 elections.

One of the most complex issues in the negotiations has been the issue of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of Renamo’s armed men. The main opposition party demands the presence of its personnel in the State Intelligence and Security Service (SISE) and in the country’s military academies, demands which have not yet been addressed by the Mozambican executive.

In addition to the disarmament and integration of the men of the armed wing of the largest opposition party in the Armed Forces, the negotiating agenda between the two sides involved decentralisation of power, a point that was satisfied by the revision of the constitution in July last year.