Peace deal leaves integration of Renamo to further negotiations

The peace agreement between Renamo and the government was published by Mozambican media at the weekend, and is unexpectedly vague - leaving many problems for future negotiations.

The key point is the transfer of what are called the “residual forces of Renamo” into the army and the police, and this has been left to a joint team of Renamo and government military experts, who will eventually give a proposal to the Renamo-government negotiations. Monday saw the 72nd negotiating session.

The accord only spells out how the integration is to take place once the details have been agreed by the negotiations. When Renamo forces are integrated into the military and police they must hand over their weapons, and once all Renamo “residual forces” have been “integrated”, “no political party should have residual armed forces”. In other words, there can no longer be a Renamo armed presidential guard.

The largest part of the accord is taken up with specifying the terms of reference of the Military Team of International Observers of the Cessation of Military Hostilities (EMOCHM - Equipa Militar de Observadores Internacionais da Cessacao das Hostilidades Militares). There will be 23 foreign military observers from Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Cape Verde, Portugal, Italy, Britain and the United States and 35 each from government and Renamo, commanded by a brigadier from Botswana. They will be based in Maputo with delegations in Inhambane, Sofala, Tete and Nampula provinces. Their task will be “to observe, monitor and guarantee implementation of the cessation of military hostilities and the start of the subsequent phases." It will begin 10 days after it is formed (for which no date is given) and continue for 135 days, which can be extended.

With extended negotiations likely first in the expert team and then in the formal negotiations, and then at least 145 days for EMOCHM, the integration of Renamo forces is likely to be well after the 15 October elections and probably extending into next year.

Both sides gave small and vague concessions to the other in the accord. Government agreed to Renamo demand for the use of the word "republican." The accord says that "defence and security services must be republican, that is, non-party and serving the Republic of Mozambique."  Government also agreed to the "immediate cessation of all hostile manifestations, overall military, but also including media." For its part Renamo agreed to full disarmament and also that neither party could made "new demands".

The accord also promises an amnesty law, which was passed by parliament and promulgated by President Armando Guebuza last week. There was a 13 hour parliament session Tuesday 12 August with intense negotiations which at different times involved Frelimo talking to Guebuza and Renamo talking to Dhlakama. Government only wanted the amnesty to cover the most recent violence, from June 2012, but Renamo wanted it dated earlier to allow the release of Renamo members arrested in various earlier incidents. The eventual deal was to date it from March 2012 to cover a shoot-out between police and Renamo in Nampula, and to cover three specific incidents in Sofala province in 2002, 2004 and 2011.

Fonte: Mozambique 269
 News reports & clippings
 19 August 2014