The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Verónica Macamo, highlighted this Monday, 11 September, the example of the country’s disarmament process for the “Silencing the Guns in Africa” initiative until 2030.
Speaking at the opening of the “Amnesty Month in Africa” ceremony, promoted by the African Union (AU), which aims to promote disarmament on the continent, she said that “Mozambique’s experience shows that building peace and national reconciliation depends on frank dialogue and the political will of the leadership, as well as the involvement of all players in society”.
The “Silencing the Guns in Africa” initiative was launched in 2017 and this year the official session is taking place in Maputo until Tuesday, under the slogan “Disarmament, Key Opportunity for Silencing the Guns in Africa: Lessons from the Republic of Mozambique”.
Last June, Mozambique concluded the process of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo, the largest opposition party). Started in 2018, it covered 5221 former Renamo guerrillas, 257 of them women, with the closure of the Vunduzi base, Renamo’s last, located in the district of Gorongosa, in the central province of Sofala.
“It’s true that it makes us proud, but it makes us more responsible, to do more and better for our country, but also for our continent (…) We are poor. If we always continue with wars, always spending money on weapons and losing our children, we won’t get anywhere,” the minister emphasised in her speech.
Verónca Macamo added that the conclusion of the DDR represents “an important contribution to the collective efforts for lasting peace, stability and reconciliation among Mozambicans”, but admitted that the government “remains committed to collecting all kinds of weapons”.
“Given their misuse, they can pose a potential threat to peace and security in the country. In this sense, we continue to urge Mozambicans to voluntarily hand in their weapons,” she said, praising the involvement of civil society, religious denominations and local leaders in this process.
The head of Mozambican diplomacy pointed out that the “proliferation of illicit weapons has contributed to the perpetuation of armed conflicts and violence in Africa and beyond”, a phenomenon that “has serious humanitarian consequences and conditions the achievement of the premises enshrined in the Initiative to Silence Arms in Africa by 2030”.
“By holding this ceremony in Maputo, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union commends Mozambique’s contribution to achieving the continental vision on Silencing the Guns, one of the main pillars in building the Africa we want for present and future generations. It is, in fact, a sovereign moment for deep reflection,” he emphasised.
Mozambique’s recent history has been marked by moments of armed conflict, namely the 16-year war and the political-military tension that recently ended.
With the signing of the General Peace Agreement between the government and Renamo in 1992, the United Nations, through its Mission (ONUMOZ), began the process of dismantling illicit weapons.
“We reaffirm the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique to continue contributing to the African Union’s efforts to Silence the Guns in Africa until 2030,” concluded Verónica Macamo.
