Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party in Mozambique, is complaining of delays in payments to reintegrated guerrillas, which the European Union (EU), one of the funders, however says are being made.
“We want to appeal to the international community to continue to pay [reintegration] subsidies while pensions are being fixed,” secretary general of Renamo André Magibire said.
Magibire was speaking this Thursday (14-10) in Gondola, in the centre of the country, at the launch of the Local Development for the Consolidation of Peace in Mozambique (DELPAZ) pacification programme.
After handing over their weapons, the guerrillas receive a subsidy for a period of a few months and then pensions are fixed, but both components are behind schedule, Magibire said, without offering concrete details.
“They are being paid,” the EU says
The Mozambican Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo, acknowledges that there are “many difficulties”. “We have the support of partners”, but they also “are facing problems due to Covid-19”, which is hindering the disbursements.
Responding to journalists at the end of the DELPAZ launch ceremony, EU ambassador to Mozambique António Gaspar said there might be “obstacles here and there”, but insisted that subsidies to Renamo guerrillas “are being paid”.
Claims from Renamo about delays in benefits have been recurrent in recent months.
The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process is financed by the international community through a multi-donor fund, managed by the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) and politically co-directed by the Secretariat for Peace, a special envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and a Contact Group of which the European Union (EU) is a member.
In June, the fund had about €20 million in resources, “of which a part was spent”, but with “a very important remainder” and some contributions still to come, Antonio Gaspar explained to the Lusa news agency at the time.
About half of Renamo’s estimated 5,200 guerrillas have so far joined the DDR process.
