Renamo leader reiterates that his party will rule in six provinces from March

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Renamo leader reiterates that his party will rule in six provinces from March

2:39 CAT | 06 Jan 2016

Lusa

The president of Renamo, the main opposition party in Mozambique, Afonso Dhlakama, reiterated in an interview published today that as of March, the movement will rule through demonstrations in six provinces in the center and north of the country.

“We will rule in March and no one will prevent it. The game is finished and we will no longer retreat. I swear by the soul of my mother,” said Dhlakama, leader of Renamo (Mozambique National Resistance), in a telephone interview with the weekly Mozambique Channel, stating “I am speaking from Gorongosa, in Sofala province, center of the country”.

The leader of Renamo had threatened in early December to take power in the provinces where he claims victory in the general elections of 2014, he said in a telephone interview from Gorongosa, to the social communication networks in Maputo.

Questioned by the Mozambique Channel on how his party will form a government in the six provinces, Afonso Dhlakama claimed that Renamo will use peaceful means, including demonstrations.

“Everything is peaceful, we need to make that clear, but I want to assure all Mozambicans that we will govern,” he emphasized Afonso Dhlakama.

Dhlakama stressed that the militants and supporters of the main opposition party will defend themselves in case of the use of force by the defense and security forces against the demonstrations, which the movement says it will use to take power in the provinces in concern.

“I know that Frelimo (Liberation Front of Mozambique, the ruling party) will send the young FADM (Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique) and the Rapid Intervention Police, we will defend ourselves,” added the leader of the main party opposition.

The Renamo leader again rejected a possible meeting with the president, Filipe Nyusi, to resolve the current political crisis, accusing the head of state and Frelimo of foreclosing all initiatives aimed at finding a way out of the impasse.

“It will be to negotiate what? They didn’t approve any proposal and ridiculed the process. Patience has its limits, they violated all agreements,” said Afonso Dhlakama, still accusing the ruling party of wanting to kill him.

Renamo claims that the solution to the crisis goes through party rule in the six provinces that it says won the general elections in 2014, they considered the results fraudulent, but made two legislative proposals aimed at creating autonomous provinces in central and northern Mozambique.

A cessation of hostilities agreement signed in September 2014 between the government and Renamo ended months of fighting in the center of the country, but there are still skirmishes between the defense and security forces and gunmen of the main opposition party.

Source: Lusa