Africa-Press – Mozambique. Security members loyal to Renamo leader Ossufo Momade forcibly reopened the party’s headquarters in Maputo on Saturday, a day after a group of ex-guerrilla fighters declared the premises closed, demanding a National Council meeting to elect a new leadership.
“They opened the doors using machetes and hammers, chasing me away as if I were a dog,” stated Horácio Júlio, a member of the group challenging the leadership of Mozambique’s main opposition party, speaking to Lusa outside the party’s headquarters in Maputo.
The ex-guerrilla group, which has submitted two protest letters, insists on convening a National Council meeting to elect new leadership, arguing that the party’s poor performance in recent elections reflects “incompetence and mismanagement.”
Renamo lost its status as the second-most-voted political force in the October 9 general elections, according to results announced by the National Election Commission (CNE). These results await validation by the Constitutional Council (CC), the final arbiter of electoral disputes.
“Are they satisfied with the votes Renamo got? This is a big party, and this doesn’t make sense. The party loses elections, and the president says nothing—how is that possible?” questioned Júlio.
Tensions and Violence Outside Renamo Headquarters
Disputes between the group calling for new leadership and Momade’s security forces created a tense standoff outside the party’s headquarters on Ahmed Sékou Touré Avenue in central Maputo, with both sides trading insults.
On Friday, in addition to closing the headquarters in Maputo, the ex-guerrillas instructed provincial and district delegations to shut down operations starting Saturday.
In Chimoio, the provincial capital of Manica (central Mozambique), clashes erupted between Momade’s supporters and ex-guerrillas outside the provincial delegation, with physical confrontations filmed by onlookers.
“These members, who happen to be ex-Renamo guerrillas, engaged in fighting when one faction tried to occupy and close the headquarters in protest against Ossufo Momade’s continued leadership,” explained Elias Mazia, an ex-guerrilla and Renamo member in the province.
Attempts to reach Renamo’s communications department for comment were unsuccessful. The department had promised a statement following a party meeting on Saturday.
Calls for Leadership Change Amid Financial and Political Challenges
On November 28, Renamo admitted that no date had been set for the National Council meeting demanded by the ex-guerrillas, citing a lack of funds and the pending proclamation of October 9 election results by the Constitutional Council, expected on Monday, as constraints.
Ossufo Momade, whose leadership has been challenged in the past, assumed Renamo’s helm following the death of the party’s historic leader and founder, Afonso Dhlakama (1953–2018).
Momade also ran in the October 9, 2024, general elections for the presidency, securing only 5.81% of the vote, the worst result for a Renamo-backed candidate since the country’s first elections in 1994.
Daniel Chapo, supported by the ruling Frelimo party, won 70.67% of the vote, while Venâncio Mondlane, a former Renamo deputy who left the party after disputes with Momade, came in second with 20.32%. Lutero Simango, leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), finished third with 3.21% of the vote (223,066 votes).
Historical Context of Renamo and Its Challenges
Mozambique endured a 16-year civil war between the government forces and Renamo, which ended with the signing of the General Peace Agreement in Rome in 1992 by then-President Joaquim Chissano and Afonso Dhlakama. This agreement paved the way for the country’s first democratic elections two years later.
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