The former guerrilla leader of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), Timosse Maquinze, demanded, yesterday, in Beira, the holding of a congress and the departure of current president Ossufo Momade, amid strong criticism of his leadership
Speaking to Lusa, Timosse Maquinze accused Ossufo Momade of having promised “a lot of things” that he did not fulfill.
“We no longer want him in the leadership of the party, along with its leadership. They are evoking laws that don’t exist, they are wrong and they are ruining democracy.
What they fear about others expressing their candidacy. This is democracy”, said the former guerrilla leader of the armed wing of Renamo, the main opposition force.
The position comes a few days after the Judicial Court of the City of Maputo granted the precautionary measure taken by Renamo deputy Venâncio Mondlane, who announced his intention to run for president of the party, and banned the leader of the largest Mozambican opposition party, Ossufo Momade, to carry out “structuring acts”, while deciding on the process.
Lusa has been trying to react from the Renamo leadership, without success so far. The court’s decision comes at a time of strong internal tension within Renamo over the process of choosing the new leadership, whose mandate ended last January without an elective congress being called, until now, when the parties are already preparing the general elections for October, in Mozambique, including presidential elections.
“It is ordered that the defendant be ordered to suspend all structuring acts carried out by him, on the one hand, and to refrain from dismissing the delegates and other members performing their duties.
However, appointing replacements for those dismissed, outside the term of office of the party bodies, is stated in the decision on the precautionary measure, dated March 5th.
Timosse Maquinze, former Renamo Chief of Staff and strong critic of Ossufo Momade’s leadership, insisted that since the entry of the current leadership, following the death of historical leader Afonso Dlhakama (1953-2018), many of its guerrillas have been killed , arrested or persecuted.
“We, the military, have already discarded this man from the Renamo leadership, on April 15th of last year, we have already removed him and we don’t need him at all”, he stated.
According to Timosse Maquinze, the president of the largest Mozambican opposition party has “systematically” violated Renamo’s statutes and, therefore, it is necessary to convene a congress to elect a new leader, peacefully. They know very well that if they compete with others they will lose, that’s why they are afraid, he said.
He added that, in a democracy, people are not prohibited from running. “That’s not what they’re saying and he’s the only candidate. Who is he to run alone?”
With Dhakama alive and in the woods, the congress was always held and there were other soldiers who expressed interest in the position, but were not prevented.
Maquinze also accused Ossufo Momade of creating a group to announce articles and other elements of the party’s statutes, claiming that he wants to prevent Renamo from holding a congress.
“Dhlakama, he is the one who would have the right to deny the congress because he was one of the founders of this movement, and he did not deny it. Now, Ossufo wants to end this and kill democracy.
In fact, he has even killed democracy because he doesn’t want others to compete for him”, he said. This is the third time that the influential member of the armed wing of the largest opposition party in central Mozambique has called for Ossufo Momade to leave since his election in 2019, following the death of Afonso Dhlakama.