Africa-Press – Mozambique. The leader of the contact group for peace in Mozambique and the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general, Mirko Manzoni, has appealed to everyone to support the reintegration of former combatants of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo).
Demobilisation is progressing, and this “will require additional support from all levels of society and all stakeholders, including development partners and the private sector, which play a central role in economic and social reintegration,” he said in a statement dated Sunday.
“We call on all these actors to actively join and maintain their full commitment to the cause of definitive peace in Mozambique,” it stressed.
The appeal was made after the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process on Sunday surpassed the 50%t threshold it is expected to cover.
“A significant milestone,” Manzoni said, referring to the closure of the base in Zobué, Tete province, in the interior of the country, where 360 combatants were based, raising to 52% of the 5,221 beneficiaries the total number of members now covered.
“It has been just over a year since the first DDR beneficiaries returned home,” and the Zobué base is the tenth to close out of a total of 16, he stressed.
“As peace is consolidated in Mozambique, ensuring the long-term reintegration of all DDR beneficiaries while supporting national reconciliation efforts is an increasingly important part of the implementation of the Maputo Accord,” he concluded.
