UN condemns “drastic measures” to resolve the crisis in Mozambique

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UN condemns “drastic measures” to resolve the crisis in Mozambique

6:06 CAT | 25 Oct 2016

Lusa (File photo)

The United Nations resident coordinator in Mozambique yesterday condemned the use of weapons and “drastic measures” to resolve the political crisis the country is facing, and said peace was an “indispensable condition” for development.

“We condemn the use of weapons and all drastic measures to resolve this conflict. It is necessary to understand that weapons do not add anything of value,” Marcia Freitas Castro told the press on the sidelines of the celebration in Maputo’s 71 years as a member of the United Nations.

Castro said that Mozambique “is going through a complex period”, and that the Mozambican government and the main opposition party, Renamo, need to establish trust in the negotiations as the precondition for rapidly reaching an agreement.

The UN coordinator said the two parties’ openness to dialogue was “a good sign”, but insisted that, “the silencing of guns is urgently needed and indispensable”.

“You can have a negotiating process without weapons,” she said, adding that Mozambique is a signatory to several international agreements on human rights protection and it is necessary that these commitments are respected.

In reply, Mozambican Minister for Land Environment and Rural Development Celso Correia said that the Mozambican government was doing everything possible to restore peace.

“Our intention is for peace to be lasting,” he said, adding that a solution to the political crisis required the involvement of all Mozambicans.

“We want peace with strong pillars,” Minister Correia said. Mozambique needs to “heal its wounds” and find its way to reconciliation.

The largest opposition party demands to rule in six provinces where it claims election victory in the 2014 general elections in 2014, accusing Frelimo of committing fraud in the election.

The central and north of the country have been the scene of clashes between the armed wing of the main opposition party and the Defence and Security Forces, as well as mutual allegations of abductions and assassinations of political leaders of both parties.

The authorities have accused Renamo of a series of ambushes on the roads and attacks on places of central and northern Mozambique, targeting police posts and also attacks on civilian facilities such as health centres or economic targets.

Renamo, in turn, accuses the Defence and Security Forces of military assaults on party positions.

In spite of the violence, the Mozambican government and Renamo went back to dialogue in Maputo in the presence of international mediators.

Source: Lusa