Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi declared on Saturday that the positive results of the peace agreement which he signed three years go with Ossufo Momade, leader of the main opposition party, Renamo, “are evident, since its terms are being observed, which brings added hope to the country”.
Of particular importance, said Nyusi, was the programme for the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) of members of the Renamo militia, which was now “in its concluding phase”.
Nyusi congratulated Momade for honouring the agreement. Implementing the promises contained in the 2019 agreement “is making Mozambique a country of peace and harmony”, he said.
Mirko Manzoni, the personal envoy to Mozambique of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, also issued a statement marking the anniversary, and praising the results of the peace agreement.
Giving details on the DDR, he said that to date 3,558 former Renamo guerrillas (3,402 men and 156 women) have been demobilized. This is 68 per cent of the total number of “residual forces” claimed by Renamo. 12 of the 16 known Renamo bases have been closed.
Manzoni said he expected the Renamo demobilization and disarmament to be concluded by the end of this year. 2023 would be a year for “reintegration and reconciliation”.
“Progress in these areas”, said the UN envoy, “will be fundamental for the consolidation of peace and will require the collective efforts of all stakeholders. We all benefit from peace, and so we all have a role to play”.
Manzoni claimed that, in recent years, “Mozambique has been to the forefront in promoting African solutions for African problems. This approach has guided us in implementing the 2019 agreement, and, more recently, in the country’s response to the questions of security in northern Mozambique” (he was referring to the terrorist raids in parts of Cabo Delgado province).
It was because of these successes, Manzoni claimed, that last month Mozambique was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, with the unanimous support of all UN member states with the right to vote.
Since the 2019 agreement, the Renamo mainstream, which owes allegiance to Momade, has made no attempt to go back to war. However, a dissident faction, calling itself the “Renamo Military Junta”, led by Mariano Nhongo, denounced Momade as “a traitor” and attempted to re-ignite the war.
The Junta staged a series of ambushes in 2020 on the main roads in Manica and Sofala provinces. But on 11 October 2021, Nhongo died in a clash with the Mozambican police, and the Junta proved unable to outlive its leader. Since then, the central provinces have been calm, and the main focus of instability remains the jihadist attacks in Cabo Delgado.
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