{"id":41631,"date":"2014-08-25T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=41631"},"modified":"2014-08-25T09:00:17","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T09:00:17","slug":"mozambique-rivals-agree-ceasefire-ahead-of-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/08\/mozambique-rivals-agree-ceasefire-ahead-of-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Mozambique rivals agree ceasefire ahead of elections"},"content":{"rendered":"
The government of Mozambique has signed a ceasefire with the Renamo opposition party in a bid to end hostilities ahead of elections in October.<\/p>\n
The deal follows two years of low-level clashes between armed members of Renamo and government forces.<\/p>\n
In 2013 Renamo withdrew from a peace deal signed more than 20 years earlier which had ended a protracted civil war.<\/p>\n
Last week, as part of the negotiations, the government began releasing Renamo prisoners captured in recent fighting.<\/p>\n
The ceasefire was signed on Sunday night in the capital Maputo between Renamo’s chief negotiator Saimon Macuiane and the government after almost a year of negotiations.<\/p>\n
Mr Macuiane told the AFP news agency that the “definitive agreement” came into operation as of 22:00 local time (2000 GMT) on Sunday.<\/p>\n
“We have begun a new era for the country,” Mr Macuiane said, describing the ceasefire as an “important step towards national reconciliation… and a durable peace”.<\/p>\n
Correspondents say that Renamo has been fighting a low-level insurgency since party leader Afonso Dhlakama returned to the bush in 2012, two decades after he agreed a peace deal with the governing Frelimo party.<\/p>\n
Sunday’s late night agreement follows a general peace agreement between the two sides a week ago – including a deal over the integration of Renamo’s remaining members into the Mozambique security forces.<\/p>\n
Renamo officials say that Mr Dhlakama – who has been under cover in the remote Gorongosa mountains in central Sofala province for nearly a year – did not travel to the capital to sign the ceasefire himself, even though he pledged earlier that he would commit to doing so once his party reached a final agreement with the government.<\/p>\n
“He mandated me to declare it,” Mr Macuiane said, at the same time indicating that Mr Dhlakama would meet Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza at a later date.<\/p>\n
“It is obvious that there will be a high level, symbolic meeting later on,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
Parliament is expected to start the process of implementing the peace agreement over the next week.<\/p>\n
Presidential and national polls are due to be held on 15 October, Mr Macuiane said.<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government of Mozambique has signed a ceasefire with the Renamo opposition party in a bid to end hostilities ahead of elections in October. The deal follows two years of low-level clashes between armed members of Renamo and government forces. In 2013 Renamo withdrew from a peace deal signed more than 20 years earlier which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":41632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\n