Third Mozambican political party demands demilitarisation MoU be made public

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Third Mozambican political party demands demilitarisation MoU be made public

1:38 CAT | 08 Aug 2018

File photo: Lusa

The president of the Mozambican Democratic Movement, the third-largest political party in Mozambique’s parliament, on Tuesday demanded that the memorandum of understanding on demilitarisation signed between the government and Renamo be released.

“We wish to urge the parties to make this document public, because Mozambicans must take ownership of this process,” Daviz Simango told press at a public event in Beira city, central Mozambique.

According to Simango, the document signed between the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, and the interim coordinator of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), Ossufo Momade, had the potential to restore confidence to businesspeople who were afraid to invest because of the political and military crisis in the country.

While congratulating the parties on reaching consensus, the MDM president cautioned:
“In order for there to be change, there must be confidence, and for there to be trust, this document needs to be made public.”

On Monday, the Mozambican president announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the government and Renamo on the demilitarisation and integration of the main opposition party’s forces.

In his statement to the nation, Filipe Nyusi said that the next steps in the process would be announced within days, without giving further details.

The current negotiating process between the Mozambican government and Renamo started a year ago when Filipe Nyusi travelled to Gorongosa in central Mozambique for talks with the then Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama on August 6, 2017, in a meeting that was marked by a handshake.

In addition to the disarmament and integration of men from the armed wing of the largest opposition party into the armed forces and the police, the negotiating agenda between the two sides also involved decentralisation of power, a development made possible by an amendment to the constitution in July.

Between 2015 and 2016, Mozambique witnessed an escalation in military clashes between government forces and Renamo’s armed wing, which does not accept the 2014 election results, accusing the ruling Frelimo Liberation Front of fraud .

Source: Lusa