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- From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
- Subject: IPS:MOZAMBIQUE: RENAMO SWAPS GUNS FOR BRIEFCASES IN NEW CAMPAIGN
- Sender: barnhart@ddsw1.mcs.com (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
- Message-ID: <C05A6H.CzH@ddsw1.mcs.com>
- Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:23:04 GMT
- Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
- Lines: 85
-
- Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
-
- Title: MOZAMBIQUE: RENAMO SWAPS GUNS FOR BRIEFCASES IN NEW CAMPAIGN
-
-
- maputo, dec 26 (ips/gil lauriciano) -- the mozambican national
- resistance (renamo) this week began exchanging battle fatigues
- for business suits as the former rebels movement starts its
- political campaign.
-
- the arrival tuesday in the capital maputo of renamo general
- secretary vicente ululu, is seen as another step forward in
- the u.n. supervised peace process for this ex-portguese colony
- after 17 years of civil war.
-
- ''i came to maputo to open the headquarters for our party and
- as soon as conditions allow, our president dlakama will come to
- maputo'', said ululu.
-
- last week, the government of president joaquim chissano
- formally handed over a house intended for renamo leader afonso
- dlakama, and said ''if dlakama wants to come and spend christmas
- here (in maputo), he's welcome''.
-
- ululu (43), was a member of the liberation front of
- mozambique (frelimo), the ruling party which led the nation to
- independence in 1975. after a period of exile in kenya, ululu
- joined renamo in 1982.
-
- seen in diplomatic circles as the ''only politician'' within
- the guerrilla group, whose leadership is dominated by ndaus (an
- ethnic group from central mozambique), ululu is the first
- non-ndau member to occupy such high position in renamo.
-
- for the first time here, renamo supporters came out on the
- street bearing banners and photographs of dlakama, and allowing
- themselves to be photographed by journalists who flocked to
- maputo to see ululu's arrival.
-
- ''i've come to welcome our general secretary and i'm very
- happy. renamo has brought democracy and peace'', said 21 year
- old bento domingos, a student at the industrial institute of
- maputo and member of dlakama's movement since 1990.
-
- renamo, backed by south africa, conducted one of the most
- brutal and destabalising guerrilla wars in african history.
-
- the u.n. estimates the war caused the death of around one
- million people as well as transforming the country into the
- world's poorest, where 65 per cent of its estimated 15.6 million
- population live in ''absolute poverty''. (more/ips)
-
-
- mozambique: renamo (2)
-
- meanwhile in statements to the press, ululu said that
- ''renamo will open access to zones under its control allowing
- other political parties to carry out their political
- activities''.
-
- several emergent political parties in the country have
- accused renamo of not allowing other political groups to
- campaign in territory under its control.
-
- according to renamo's general secretary, renamo became a
- political party when the peace accord was signed on oct. 4 in
- rome, italy by chissano and dlakama.
-
- asked about the fist activities his political party would
- carry out, ululu said his group intends to open delegations in
- the provincial capitals, hold public rallies and ''prepare
- ourselves, for our objective is winning elections''.
-
- ululu said they ''welcomed'' support from former prime
- minister of rhodesia (now zimbabwe), ian smith, who promised
- backing for renamo's campaign in the first multiparty elections
- in the history of this southern african nation, planned for
- october 1993.
-
- renamo was created by the rhodesian secret service as an
- instrument of revenge against frelimo which provided bases for
- the zimbabwean liberation movement. at zimbabwe's independence
- in 1980, renamo was inherited by south african military
- intelligence. (end/ips/gl/rw/oa/92)
-