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President Guebuza

MAPUTO. – The Mozambican parliament approved on Tuesday a Bill on amnesty aimed at curbing hostilities between the government and the main opposition and former rebel movement, Renamo.
The Bill was put to the Assembly of the Republic by President Armando Guebuza.
It was a result of negotiations between the two sides since last year.

The spokesperson for the ruling Frelimo party in the legislative body, Edmundo Galiza Matos Jnr, described the Bill as an instrument to end the country’s political crisis.

“This Bill will bury all the hostilities,” he told reporters shortly after the approval of the Bill.
For his part, Jose de Sousa, who is spokesperson for Mozambique’s Democratic Movement (MDM) – the second largest party – also described the Bill as the law that will strengthen democracy in Mozambique.

The Bill covers all those who committed atrocities to people and properties since last March when the Renamo gunmen launched their attacks against civilians and convoys along the main north-south highway in the Southern African country.

The Bill is aimed at strengthening trust and guarantee security. No one should go after another as a way of retaliation due to the country’s political crisis.
The head of the Renamo delegation to the talks with the government, Saimone Macuiana, told Xinhua yesterday that the party had completely stopped its attacks across the country.

“Mozambicans are now going to enjoy a climate of peace and tranquillity,” he said.
Since the weekend, convoys started passing through the locality of Muxungue and the Save River in the central province of Sofala, while previously this stretch was proved to be dangerous due to Renamo attacks.

President Guebuza and the Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama were supposed to address the nation on Tuesday, but the ceremony was postponed because Dhlakama has not yet left the Gorongosa camp where he has being living since October last year when the government forces stormed his headquarters in Sofala. – Xinhua.