Guebuza condemns Renamo attack

tranquillity.

The call came at a time when police and armed forces are still investigating the clash at a military arsenal in the central province of Sofala before dawn on Monday.

At least six soldiers were killed after armed men who stole ammunitions and weapons initiated the confrontation, according to media reports.

The authorities have not yet issued an official account of the incident and the exact casualty toll. Renamo, the former rebel movement, was implicated in the case, but it denied the charges.

This is the second time so far this year that deadly attacks targeting military targets occurred in the Southern African country. In March, four riot policemen and a Renamo commander were shot dead in a brief exchange of fire in Sofala, a Renamo stronghold.

President Guebuza on Tuesday urged dialogue between the government and Renamo in order to understand each other and to resolve the problems.

Renamo had been waging a guerilla war against the Frelimo-led government for 16 years until the two sides signed a peace treaty in 1992. But in recent years, Renamo has been accusing the government of not honouring its commitment to the treaty and continues to sideline Renamo in the political arena. Renamo’s leader earlier this year threatened another guerilla war to achieve political equality.

Talks resumed on Tuesday but yielded no positive progress. Renamo, now the country’s largest opposition party, demands changes in the electoral laws, among others, to ensure it has an equal footing with the ruling Frelimo party.

The head of the government delegation, Agriculture Minister Jose Pacheco, told a Press conference that the negotiators once again faced an interruption in the dialogue. He suggested that Renamo should speed things up, if it wanted to see its proposals on the agenda for the forthcoming extraordinary sitting of the assembly, scheduled for August.

Speaking on Tuesday at his weekly Press briefing, the spokesperson for the General Command of the Police, Pedro Cossa, declined to comment on the attack.

“I know the armed forces are working with the local authorities to find out the reason for this. I believe that in due time, there will be more detailed and credible information about the motive for this act,” he added. — Xinhua.

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