Mozambican President Armando Guebuza said that the immediate and major step now required to ensure lasting peace is the parliamentary ratification of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the former rebel movement Renamo.
A declaration on a cessation of military hostilities was signed by the heads of the delegations to the dialogue between the government and Renamo on Aug 24, and was confirmed by President Armando Guebuza and Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama at a ceremony in Maputo on Friday.
The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, is scheduled to hold an extraordinary sitting on Monday at which the agreement will be ratified. Although the majority Frelimo party regarded ratification as quite unnecessary, nobody is expected to oppose it. Since there is no way the Assembly can amend the agreement, the Monday debate is likely to be rather short.
Guebuza was speaking after laying a wreath at the Monument to the Mozambican Heroes in Maputo, in memory of those who fell during the war for independence.
Sept 7 is the anniversary of the agreement on Mozambican independence signed in Lusaka between the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) and the Portuguese government 40 years ago.
The major challenge now, Guebuza said “is to continue with another victory. In this case, the victory we have ahead of us is to apply the memorandum of understanding (between the government and Renamo) as quickly as possible and, as you know, the Assembly is working to analyse the proposal and I think that tomorrow we shall have an answer.”
Guebuza recalled that, when the Lusaka agreement was signed, groups of ultra-right wing settlers tried to seize power in Lourenco Marques (as Maputo was then known).
The Frelimo leadership, he said, “heard of slaughter by groups of Portuguese who did not want our independence, supported by some Mozambican cronies who were revolted by independence. Obviously this produced a lot of disturbances, and the population had to defend itself. Many people lost their lives – but in the end all was well”.
The celebrations of what is now known as “Victory Day” were attended by members of both Frelimo and of the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), flying their respective party flags and banners.
But there was no sign of the third party represented in parliament, the former rebel movement Renamo, which has a track record of boycotting commemorative dates.
Meanwhile, Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Mozambique’s former rebel movement Renamo, has confirmed that he will start his campaign for the presidency in the coming week, somewhere in the centre of the country.
Speaking to reporters in Maputo briefly on Saturday, Dhlakama gave no exact date or place for the start of his campaign.
“I don’t know where I will begin the campaign”, he said. “From here I’m going back to the centre of the country. I may start in the centre, either in Beira or in Chimoio. But I can’t say when I’m going back there.”
Dhlakama’s official spokesperson, Antonio Muchanga, was just as uncertain. He told AIM, “We are working to ensure that our leader’s campaign will begin before next weekend. The place has not yet been decided, but we will announce it.”
Dhlakama has been in Maputo since Thursday evening, after intervention from the Italian government finally persuaded him to leave the Renamo base somewhere in the central district of Gorongosa where he had been living since October 2013.
On Friday, he attended a ceremony with President Armando Guebuza, where the two men appended their signatures to the document on a cessation of hostilities initially signed on Aug 24 by their representatives, Agriculture Minister Jose Pacheco and Renamo parliamentarian Saimone Macuiana.
On Saturday, Dhlakama met behind closed doors with members of Renamo and its Youth League, doubtless to discuss strategy for the election campaign.
The official campaign began on Aug 31 and Dhlakama’s two rivals, Filipe Nyusi of the ruling Frelimo Party, and Daviz Simango of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) have been tirelessly speaking at rallies, appearing on motorcades, and speaking to the voters in the northern and central provinces.
General elections will be held in Mozambique on Oct 15, 2014. Incumbent president Armando Guebuza is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
