Elias Dhlakama
Maputo, 21 Jun (AIM) – Elias Dhlakama, a former guerrilla in the Mozambican rebel movement Renamo, and the younger brother of the late Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, who died in 2018, has claimed that the demobilisation of the Renamo militia “was not a Renamo project”, and had nothing to do with his brother.
Over 5,000 former Renamo guerrillas were demobilised under the DDR (Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration) programme. Interviewed by the independent television station, STV, he claimed that what Afonso Dhlakama had wanted was the integration of Renamo fighters into all the Mozambican defence and security institutions, which did not happen.
He failed to mention that the DDR was part of the peace agreement signed in 2019 between the then President, Filipe Nyusi, and the current leader of Renamo, Ossufo Momade.
Elias Dhlakama also demanded the resignation of Momade. He defended the closure of Renamo offices across the country by gangs claiming to be demobilised Renamo fighters. He said this was the result of the mismanagement of the party by the current leadership, which led to a collapse in its vote in the 2024 general elections when Renamo, which was the runner-up in all previous elections, fell to third position.
He blamed Momade’s leadership for its failure to press for decentralisation through the holding of district elections. He claimed that Renamo had cooperated with the ruling Frelimo Party to postpone district elections to an indefinite future.
Dhlakama claimed that the closure of Renamo offices “is not a problem but the consequence of a problem. What should be solved in Renamo is not the closure of the offices. What should be solved is what made Renamo drop to third place. That is the problem of Renamo. Why did Renamo lose control of eight municipalities? That is the problem of Renamo”.
The solution to the problem, he said, was for Momade to resign. “If the situation in Renamo demands the resignation of its leader, why doesn’t he go?”, Dhlakama asked.
He admitted that Momade had been elected President of Renamo, but claimed that those who elected him now want him to resign.
Dhlakama is not a dispassionate, unbiased observer of Renamo’s internal situation. What STV fails to mention is that Dhlakama was the main opponent of Momade at the last two Renamo congresses (in 2019 and 2024). On both occasions, Momade won the vote. Hence, Momade can claim some democratic legitimacy, while Dhlakama cannot.
(AIM)
Pf/ (410)
