The head of the United Nations, António Guterres, praised the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process that has been implemented in Mozambique, expressing his approval after a meeting with the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi.
Guterres expressed his admiration for the Mozambican government and people, highlighting the successful completion of the disarmament and demobilisation phase under the Maputo Accord for Peace and National Reconciliation, signed in 2019. This fruitful meeting took place on the sidelines of the 78th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, currently under way in New York.
It was mentioned that both leaders addressed the current challenges of peace and development facing the country during the meeting.
The DDR, which began in 2018, integrated 5,221 former fighters of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party in Mozambique, including 257 women. The process reached its conclusion last June, marked by the closure of the Vunduzi base, Renamo's last stronghold, located in the district of Gorongosa, in the central province of Sofala. This significant milestone came around 30 years and eight months after the end of the Mozambican civil war, symbolising the completion of the demobilisation of fighters who were in remote areas and who began handing over weapons in 2019.
The next stage is the reintegration of the demobilised, a process that is already at an advanced stage, involving the implementation of support measures, including the start of the payment of pensions, as reported by the government.
This significant closure falls within the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement that was ratified by both the government, represented by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), and Renamo in August 2019. This pact is the third of its kind, following two earlier ones that, unfortunately, were not respected, culminating in armed clashes resulting from the main opposition party's disagreement over election results.
