Raúl Domingos says terrorists could expand into central and southern Mozambique – Listen

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Raúl Domingos says terrorists could expand into central and southern Mozambique – Listen

3:28 CAT | 07 Jul 2020

FILE PHOTO: Raul Domingo, leader of PDD. [File photo: Voa Portugues]

Mozambican politician Raúl Domingos warns that the armed group mounting the attacks in Cabo Delgado could expand into other regions of Mozambique, taking advantage of the insecurity created by the self-proclaimed Renamo Military Junta in the centre of the country.

“Terrorists are very active in the north and can, very easily, expand to the central and southern areas of the country, because the men of General Mariano Nhongo are also very active in the provinces of Sofala and Manica, making the area very vulnerable,” Raúl Domingos says

The president of the Party for Peace, Democracy and Development (PDD) says it is necessary to evaluate the demands of the Military Junta, “some of which are being satisfied, within the scope of the demilitarisation, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process”.

“As far as Renamo’s internal problems go, I think it is possible to reach an understanding for the elimination of this conflict, which could be a dangerous element in the expansion of the group that is operating in the north of the country,” he said.

A former Renamo guerrilla himself, Raúl Domingos says that, for Mozambique, it is quite complicated to face two armed groups simultaneously, and defends prioritising the elimination of the Military Junta, “because if we dismantle this group, we create conditions for an effective peace, and to attack the terrorists in the north of the country”.

Gaps in military intelligence

But analyst Tomás Rondinho says the fight against the insurgency in Cabo Delgado “is difficult, because it seems that we do not have military counterintelligence. The attacks happen in a very abusive way, and the state has no information”.

Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Adriano Nuvunga, says that the conflict in Cabo Delgado is taking place “because there are important issues of governance there failing, and those issues have to be addressed”.

On the other hand, Raúl Domingos says that it is easy to solve the General Nhongo problem, because “it is enough for Renamo to open itself to dialogue, and Renamo has experience of dialogue; it was able to dialogue with a government that was its enemy – why not dialogue with the Military Junta, which is a dissident from Renamo itself?”

One of the demands of the so-called Renamo Military Junta is the resignation of Ossufo Momade as president of Renamo, whom they accuse of deviating from the ideals of the late party leader, Afonso Dhlakama, in negotiations with the government.

The PDD leader thinks a compromise could be found involving, for example, an extraordinary Renamo congress “in which the possibility of a motion of confidence in the president is raised, perhaps allowing other candidacies for the presidency of Renamo”.

Renamo in response asserts that Ossufo Momade “was elected, and well elected, at the party congress”, and rules out any possibility of a new election.

By Ramos Miguel

Source: Voa Portugues