Maputo, 4 Oct (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has reiterated that the remaining former guerrillas of Renamo, the largest opposition party, covered by the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) process, will be able to receive their pensions this month.
Nyusi was speaking on Wednesday in Maputo’s Heroes’ Square, at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the signing of the General Peace Agreement between the government and Renamo on 4 October 1992.
He announced that, of the 5,221 Renamo fighters demobilized under the DDR, “so far 1,756 cases have been formed, of which 440 have been duly instructed. The pensions of 316 people have been settled, of which 251 have been approved by the Administrative Tribunal, and 27 have already received their pensions as of last September.”
“The rest will receive their pensions this October”, said the president, explaining that the DDR was the result of a long dialogue ‘which we have embraced as the only effective way to achieve peace.’
The war of destabilisation between Mozambique and the apartheid-backed Renamo rebels lasted for 16 years. It resulted in the deaths of over a million people and displaced more than five million from their home areas.
In 1992, the General Peace Agreement was signed in Rome by the then President Joaquim Chissano and the late Renamo leader, Afonso Dhlakama.
The government has reaffirmed that it is complying with all the provisions of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, signed in August 2019 between Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade, including the DDR.
The demobilization and disarmament phase of the DDR began in July 2019 with the registration of the first group of fighters in the central district of Gorongosa, and formally ended last June.
“In recent months, we have witnessed progress towards peace in Mozambique, with the finalization of the DDR, a source of immense pride for our country. This achievement is important, more broadly, for the region and for the African continent’s endeavor to silence the guns”, said Nyusi.
“For those who still find themselves in the bush for whatever reason, their reintegration process will be bogged down”, the President warned.
Nyusi also stressed that the terrorism plaguing the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2017 has nothing to do with religious conflicts, but is related to phenomena driven by money laundering, drug trafficking, the squandering of mineral resources and other types of crime.
“There is no rich or poor country that considers itself immune to terrorism on an individual basis, which is why we have the support of the Rwandan forces bilaterally and the SADC Military Mission to Mozambique (SAMIM) multilaterally”, said Nyusi. “Together we have achieved visible successes on the ground. The terrorists are no longer in the villages, we have dismantled their main bases and they have started to act defensively and in small groups, carrying out sporadic attacks to loot food from the population”.
With the improvement in order and tranquility, according to Nyusi, the population has been returning massively to their areas of origin, resuming normal life.
“At the moment, the challenge lies in rebuilding infrastructure and consolidating social cohesion. However, actions are being mobilized in the Strategic Programme for the Integrated Development of the Northern Zone, which has the support of various cooperation partners”, he said.
With regard to the election campaign that is currently taking place prior to the municipal elections scheduled for 11 October, the President said “the competing political parties must adopt a peaceful stance, refraining from acts that undermine public order and tranquility.”
“They must also avoid intimidatory messages, which contradict democracy”, he stressed.
(AIM)
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