Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Tuesday once again urged the dissident “Renamo Military Junta” to join the demobilisation of the Renamo militia.
Under a general peace agreement signed in August 2019 by Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade, all Renamo military bases are to be dismantled, and the former militiamen demobilised, disarmed and reintegrated into Mozambican society.
But Junta leader Mariano Nhongo rejected the peace agreement, describing Momade as “a traitor”, and claiming that he is the true leader of Renamo. For more than a year his men have been staging ambushes on the roads in the central provinces of Manica and Sofala.
In late October, Nyusi offered a seven day truce to the Junta and instructed the defence and security forces not to pursue Junta units during this period. But Nhongo spurned the offer, and the attacks continued. Last week Nyusi warned that Nhongo’s behavior meant “There is nothing we can do but launch vigorous operations against this enemy”.
But on Tuesday, at a ceremony where ranks were awarded to officers in the immigration service, Nyusi once again urged Junta members to join the demobilisation. He also invited Nhongo’s faction to opt for dialogue as a way of resolving any dispute within Renamo.
Nyusi urged the Junta not to let itself be manipulated by forces, inside or outside Mozambique, who want to destroy the country. He claimed that the situation in the central provinces “is being instigated by well-to-do individuals with personal ambitions, some of whom are interested in weakening democracy in Mozambique”.
“We Mozambicans shall always kneel before democracy because that is the destination that we have chosen”, declared the President. “So once again we are inviting the group of Mariano Nhongo to join voluntarily the process of demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR)”.
Nyusi then opened up about the current state of military operations against the Junta. He said that, as from 25 November, the defence and security forces had stepped up operations along the Pungue river, in the Cundze area of Gorongosa district, in Sofala. Combat actions along the river had struck at the areas of Chimbe and Ndombe, and the Pinhananga base, regarded as one of the Junta’s main military bases, and had progressed towards the Chimanimani National Park, in Manica.
On 11 December, the Junta had attacked a vehicle belonging to the National Statistics Institute (INE). In response, the defence forces, Nyusi said, went in pursuit of this Junta unit, and captured three of its members in the Mafambisse area of Sofala, including an aide-de-camp of Nhongo himself.
Nyusi added that the defence forces are now hunting down Junta forces in the Manguerre area and in the Galinha administrative post in the Sofala district of Muanza.
Nyusi’s statements follow the warning issued on Saturday by Mirko Manzoni, the Personal Envoy to Mozambique of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, that the Military Junta must cease all its military activities as a pre-condition for any eventual dialogue with the Mozambican government.