Maputo (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Tuesday wrote to Afonso Dhlakama, the leader of the country’s largest opposition party, Renamo, requesting that he appoint representatives to a joint commission tasked with preparing the terms of reference for the resumption of dialogue.
Source: President Nyusi calls on Dhlakama to make preparations for dialogue – The Zimbabwean May 17, 2016
President Nyusi has consistently called for the resumption of dialogue and for a halt to the violent attacks carried out in the centre of the country by Renamo’s illegal armed militia.
In April, the government set up a team of three representatives to prepare the ground for a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.
However, Renamo has so far refused to delegate any of its members to work on this task. It argues that there can be no further dialogue without the mediation of the Catholic Church, the European Union, and South African President Jacob Zuma.
In addition, Renamo has convinced itself that it is the rightful ruler of the six central and northern provinces where it claims to have won in the 2014 elections. Thus, Renamo has stated that dialogue is conditional on it taking power in those provinces.
In his letter to Dhlakama, the President argued that there is no need for mediation before the creation of the joint commission because dialogue would only resume based on the terms of reference agreed by the joint team.
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