Mozambique peace deal cannot be re-negotiated: EU

(Southern Africa) (4 minutes read)

The European Union has said that a peace agreement signed last year in Mozambique between president Filipe Nyusiand  and  leader of Renamo- Ossufo Momade, a former rebel movement-turned-opposition party  to end armed hostilities, cannot be renegotiated

The European Union has said that a peace agreement signed last year in Mozambique between president Filipe Nyusiand  and  leader of Renamo- Ossufo Momade, a former rebel movement-turned-opposition party  to end armed hostilities, cannot be renegotiated

Ossufo Momade lost last October’s election that roamed home the incumbent president Felipe Nyusi

There  are accusations of the ruling FRELIMO party using violence to win the election

Calls have grown in the recent days to revisit the deal signed in August of 2019 between the government and the Renamo rebel group. Renamo at the time of signing the agreement had agreed to renounce rebellion.  But a splinter group has been staging attacks in central
Mozambique to create trouble.

The European Union Ambassador to Mozambique António Sanchez-Benedito said that the peace agreement cannot be renegotiated and said that all Mozambicans have the conviction and above all the desire for this to be the definitive agreement.

Ossufo Momade lost last October’s election that roamed home the incumbent president Felipe Nyusi. There  are accusations of the ruling FRELIMO party using violence to win the election.

The EU is a guarantor of the deal, among others, to bring peace and prosperity in the country. Also, the organization has committed millions of dollars to support its implementation. Of late, Mozambique is making solid strides to become an economically happening place riding on the back of its newest gas findings. The Southern African
country is also dealing with a militant insurgency which has driven hundreds from their homes in its north.

The visit of  Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis to Mozambique was the trigger point for signing the peace deal in August last year. The peace deal brought an end to a long peace negotiation process initiated by Renamo’s former leader, Alfonso Dhlakama, who died in May last year.