Riot police disperse former guerrillas

Maputo, 29 May (AIM) – The Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR – the Mozambican riot police) on Wednesday dispersed a group of men claiming to be former Renamo guerrillas from the Renamo Maputo headquarters.

The former guerrillas had camped at the headquarters for two weeks, demanding the resignation of Renamo leader Ossufo Momade.

Amateur videos of the clash show the UIR using tear gas as they broke into the headquarters. It was not immediately clear whether the UIR intervention was a police initiative, or whether the Renamo leadership had asked the police to clear the protestors.

The Renamo dissidents had already succeeded in shutting down most of the Renamo provincial and district offices. On Wednesday morning they occupied Momade’s office, and threatened to march on his house.

They blame Momade for Renamo’s poor showing in the 2024 general elections, when the party slipped from second to third position, behind both the ruling Frelimo Party and the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), which became the largest opposition party in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.

The protesters claim they are the real Renamo and represent the majority of the former guerrillas. But, in reality, they have no democratic legitimacy. Momade was re-elected President of Renamo at a party congress held last year. Nobody elected the leaders of the dissidents.

Momade himself has remained silent during this crisis inside his party, fuelling suspicion that he may be seriously ill.
(AIM)
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