via BBC News – Zimbabwe warns Mozambique’s Renamo not to resume war
Zimbabwe has urged rebels in Mozambique not to fight, after an opposition group with military and political wings withdrew from a 1992 peace deal.
Zimbabwe’s Deputy Foreign Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa told the BBC that he would not countenance a return to civil war in Mozambique.
The Renamo movement, thought to have about 1,000 fighters as well as 51 MPs, ended the peace accord on Monday.
Mozambique’s 1976-1992 civil war led to about a million deaths.
Mr Mutsvangwa said Renamo should rejoin the political process, not threaten regional stability.
He told the BBC’s Focus on Africa radio programme that Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama should “never, never” return to violence.
“Southern Africa will not countenance this. We simply do not need this in this region at this juncture,” he said.
He added that regional body Sadc (Southern African Development Community) would consider sending troops to help the government if the security situation deteriorated.
“It will be misguided for Renamo to bring instability and expect Zimbabwe to watch,” he said.
Renamo pulled out of the peace accord after government forces captured Mr Dhlakama’s base in the Gorongosa mountains in central Mozambique on Monday, forcing him to flee.
Rebel fighters retaliated by opening fire on a police station in the town of Maringue, about 35km (20 miles) from the base, state-run Radio Mozambique reported.
The US has urged the two sides to “move back from the brink”.
“We are encouraging the two parties to take visible and decisive steps to de-escalate the current tense environment,” said US state department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
Mozambique’s economy has been booming in recent years, with the discovery of a major offshore gas field in 2011.
Mozambican mediator Lourenco do Rosario said he had held talks with Renamo to ease tension.
He said Renamo leaders had told him they did not want to return to war.
Renamo MPs attended a parliamentary session on Wednesday, despite pulling out of the peace accord.
“We are continuing our work as usual,” senior Renamo MP Vicente Ululu told the BBC.
Renamo’s 51 MPs make it the largest opposition party.
Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza, who is touring the central region, called on Mr Dhlakama to resume dialogue with the government.
Mr Ululu said he did not believe the president was serious about talks.
Renamo was supported by South Africa’s former white-minority regime during the civil war that raged after Mozambique’s independence in 1975.
After Robert Mugabe came to power in Zimbabwe, he backed Mozambique’s Frelimo government.
Renamo has contested elections since the end of the civil war, but has failed to dislodge Frelimo from power
Mozambique is due to hold local elections in November, and presidential and parliamentary elections next year.
Renamo has complained that the Frelimo government is determined to hold on to power and has failed to create conditions for free and fair elections.
Frelimo denies the allegations and says Renamo does not have support among voters.
COMMENTS
Renamo should be told that their former idiotic backers-the Apatheirdists who were backed by rabid imperialists- are no more, blown out into oblivion; as such they should never ever contemplate recreating destabilisation in the region otherwise they will be wiped out. In the same vein we SADC people expect Mozambican authorities to play correct politics of free and fair elections. To this end I call upon the AU [although it is being run/led by a tired horse] to organise and make up a permanent independent AU electoral commission that should manage all elections in Africa professionally. Such a commission can be run by a civilised and educated person like KOFFI Annan or anyone else. This will usher in peace across Africa and stem all the rubbish politics people are being subjected to.
For us who are in Mozambique,there are two matrixes that are causing the ditability in the country. The two parties are very much interested in the war. 1,. RENAMO is losing its popularity since the formation of MDM led by Simango. Simango is very young, intelligent and peace loving. FRELIMO´s Matrix is centralised on their leader who is eager to extend his team of office beyond the 2 team limit. War means a state of emergency and a stapage to elections. Thus the war favours the two parties while it does not favour Davis Simango and his team of intellectuals.
Ofcourse its not a good thing to start civil war in the region as you r saying mutsvangwa, my question is who is the creator of these wars? Its u seating leaders, simply because u don’t want release power to anyone even from yr own part. U r not worried abt mocambique u r worried abt yourselves u greed zanus u know that those zimbabweans who r not happy with u guys it will b easy for them to get access to weapons and start war with you guys. And also i don’t c u wipping
Why dont our ministers etc worry about our own country on fire before offering advice on anywhere else . ” We don’t need this in the region right now ” Zimbabwe is the most unstable and declining state at this time in Southern Africa .The next thing you know they will be offering to send peace keepers , well might make a change using the army to fight and intimidate someone else rather than their own people .
Let Chiwenga and his soldiers go and do their proper job for once and show us why they deserve to oppress Zimbabweans with threats of returning to the bush. Heyo ka yauya hondo endai munoirova vakomana. They are all so fat I don’t think they would last 2 Kms walking in Gorongosa. Anyway why even bother. Alfonso needs to realize hapana dhiri wo zvake kwaari. He is just as much a clown.
We don’t want war we are tryng to make lyf in moz since our zim are dry lands now
luii! talk is cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chikabvondoka nekuhwinika ku Moza chanakira tose. Dai vanhu vanzwa kuti Chinoz anoti kudini nekutumira Chiwenga ku friendly battle. I remember all those that returned kuDRC vari vapenyu vakatiza into diaspora or resigned. Matakarwa kare, hatyisidziri Dhlakama
Zanu likes war and they have been threatening Zimbabweans with war if they loose elections. Mutsvangwa is one of them who promised to back to the bush to fight unarmed civilians if they reject Zanu. Hezvo yauyaka yega hondo. Endai munorwaka tione humhizha hwenyu.
I am an ordinary person not so good in analysing political issues , but from the look of things ruling parties are always making a mistake by outcasting the leaders of opposition parties most of the time , Dhlakama was supposed to be awarded with a post in the government immediately after signing the peace accord with the ruling part Frelimo but this never happened , awarding a post to him was going to keep him as a more responsible person and have some inputs in the running of the country but unfortunately by outcasting him gave him more opportunity to plan on how he can over throw the government of Mozambique .ZAPU signed a peace accord with ZANU early 1980s thats why even today we have got the second vice president of the country coming from those who ZAPU members .Joshua Nkomo the leader of ZAPU was give a post as the vice president of Zim after signinig the peace accord with ZANU , coming to Mozambiqoe , their peace accord with Renamo remained with loop holes ever since , they should have concidered the fact that Dhlakama played a huge role to bring peace to their entire nation and thats why they had been so progressing in developing their country .They must quickly realise the mistake which had been existing for so long and get it rectified others the war will be a huge step backwards for their country . Ruling parties must realise that a peace accord will never exist without responsibilities awarded to the opposition leaders .
The simple truth is that Dhlakama and RENAMO have no means of waging a war in Mozambique. No country in the region wil give them financial and marterial support, especially arms and amunnitions. They may still be having guns but they will need a constant supply of bullets and more arms. So Dhlakama should find a way out of this snuff, very fast.
Kondo- RENAMO is receiving arms as we talk right now. Helicopters have been seen landing and leaving Casa Banana several times. The problem with this world is that there are people who are living on selling arms and these are the people supplying the arms of war. Alfonso Dlhakama has money from his mines in Nampula and he can use the money to buy the weapons. Remember that those who are mining in the rich Tete and Nampula provinces are the Westerns and Chinese can voluntarilly supply the arms so that they can get a share of the procedes from minerals and gas from Cabo Delgado. Oil along the Ruvuma River was discovered by Americans and for China it will be a game of who supports who.
I don’t thing Americans nor China can do the stupid things, supplying weapons to Renamo. If Afonso Dhlakama is owning mines in the north, then he is rich, what else does he want because bringing war to the country will affect his mines from operating. I think Dhlakama must grow up, Moz is also his country. Western companies and Chinese companies are there to invest, not to create war.
Viva SADC, viva AU, viva Mozambicans. Let us unite and defeat this ‘bandits’. Dhlakama must go back to the city to serve for the nation, we cant afford to lose more lives because of him. Drastic steps must be taken if he continues to create camps. The country must have one army. His own bandits can turn against him just like Savimbi in Angola. So Dhlakama must think about his future and family, and not to destroy his own country.
The 1st elections in 1994 were rigged (there were initial riots after the results). Dhlakama was told to be patient and accept sefeat, next time he would win. Thereafter it was all diwnhill for Dhlakama – sounds familiar, right. Now this. As for MOF, sounds like they have a trigger- happy, attention seeking Dep Min. Inflammatory and somewhat patronising comments for a former Ambassador.
We have experienced the consequences of Renamo activities along in our borders, and they should please not interfere with Zimbabwe’s interests. If that happens we will actually go in and kill them, there is no other option. We can have our political disputes locally, but we cannot allow foreign bandits to distabilise us again. This is what Mutsvangwa is saying, and he is right.
Why government troops went to provoke Mr Dlhakama???
Mutsvangwa shd know e prblms is sadc are caused by its leaders. Sadc shd never brooke rigged elections. Now w mugabe as sadc chairman what hope do we have for e region? Already he can’t run his zpf and e country is directionless so can such a tried and tested bt continuous failure be expected to be a gud leader of e regional grouping of a country
We do not want war in Moz. Dhlakama must stop threatening civilians, and I think he must retire from politics and give young one’s from his party to lead them. Fighting nowadays is not the solution to resolve country’s problems.
Dhlakama has balls. Tsvangirai should learn that you dont negotiate with an armed man using only a pen because you cant go beyond signing an agreement. We wish Dhlakama well and these so-called ruling parties should learn to be fair in order to preserve the peace. It makes no sense to expect Dhlakama to seek peace when being provoked by a party that believes its stronger hence can muscle him out like they did Tsvangirai…
Create that environment for the aggrieved like us. Talking and not being listened to, is just as a, fatal. Once that environment has been created, it gives us a chance to follow suit. Resources to finance that war in Zimbabwe are enough to see us through.
hapana iripo mozambicans fear not vafana jus see Matt 24v6.You are jus but fulfilling the scriptures.For us christians, we take it as a timely reminder for us to lay our hearts to the prince of peace who z abt to com.*Pray without ceasing coz the are evil*
power intoxigation has been a huge problem for virtually all african states from the rising sun to the settling of it, east to west, north to south. NIgeria PDP,the ruling party since formation of the 3rd republic has taking power as their birth right. Zanu Zim ruling party is a birth right, ANC S A ruling party a birth right,Angola ruling party since after the war a birth right, name them, frelimo Moz, cameroon, gabon, central africa rep etc thus said unless power balance is encourage and tendency of ‘rule or die’ is well address in africa there will be no peace and progress here. Also i wish african elites could join hand together to start getting rid of all these expeired presidents like Robert mugabe. I hope in future there will be a better africa. also, Au has fail bcos cooruption from nigeria to southafrica down to zimbw. Of african strong rooms. African Youths should rise up against over power holders in all states. Muito Obrigado. From frelimo house in maputo.
War will create more problems, who knows who dies. Civil war is war against your close relatives. What if Free elections did not give Dhlakama pwr he will fight again. All he wants is pwr. Is it possible with a thousand supporters to oust just a million of Frelimo and its supporters. Mr Dhlakama asade kuchekeresa kuti business rikure.
this conflict does not make sense , RENAMO as the second party in M ozambique , should find a way out to solve his problems , in point of view this is the result of misleading in to this party.
this fire can also spread into zimbabwe beware pasi nehondo
[…] fatalities. RENAMO is based very close to the Zimbabwean border and these actions have brought strong warnings from Harare, although as far as I can tell there has not been significant regional concern (and what of Zim […]