Benjamin* wants peace. An ex-combatant of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), he dreams of going back to work in his field, in the Cheringoma district, Sofala province.
Like other ex-combatants in central Mozambique, he hopes to grow his own vegetables, maize, beans and cassava, and possibly raise chickens and goats.
Just a few months ago, Benjamin became one of thousands of former RENAMO combatants participating in a “disarmament, demobilization and reintegration” process.
This process is a central component of the Maputo Agreement between the Mozambican government and RENAMO, which formally ended decades of conflict and insecurity between its militant wing and national security forces, uniting communities, when it was signed in 2019. .
UNCDF/Karel Prinsloo
Through participatory processes, community members, including ex-combatants, will be able to participate in local development planning exercises.
happy to be back
More than twenty years later, Benjamin has returned to his community, learning new skills, reconnecting with other members of the community and reconnecting with his family.
“From the moment my siblings and I begin our reintegration into the community and society, I feel a sense of relief and happiness.. We’re so glad we came back,” says Benjamin. “Since we’ve been in the community, there haven’t been any problems; They have welcomed me like a brother.”
Galício António, head of the Nhamaze Administrative Office, in the Gorongosa district, highlights the importance of reconciliation. “They’re back and producing again,” he declares. “They are educating their children, they are re-entering social life, they are participating in the community.”
The UN’s role in the program is to offer support to the authorities to strengthen the inclusion of local voices in planning and budgeting exercises, as a solid foundation to promote lasting peace, national reconciliation and inclusive sustainable development.
Through the program, the local authorities listen to the local population and know their needs, which will allow them to define and select the essential public infrastructures and services that the districts themselves must provide to their communities, in order to promote sustainable local development. and adaptation to climate change.
Benjamin’s hopes are similar to those of other ex-combatants and communities affected by the conflict in Mozambique: they want to rebuild lives, have a productive life for themselves, their families and their communities.
In this way, the UN is helping them to create a better future for Mozambique.
“I am very happy; the community is happy,” says Benjamin. “This peace must continue. This is our will.”
UNCDF/Philip Hatcher-Moore
Community members working together in their fields in the village of Inhaminga, Sofala province.
Peacebuilding in Mozambique
- Launched in October 2021, the Local Development Program for the Consolidation of Peace (DELPAZ) is part of the European Union’s support for the implementation of the Maputo Agreement
- The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program, which helps these former combatants reintegrate into civilian life, is run by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Mozambican government
- Under the leadership of the Government of Mozambique and with the support of the Austrian Development Agency, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund, DELPAZ aims to promote local economic development opportunities in communities previously affected by the conflict in 14 districts of Sofala, Manica and Tete provinces
*The name has been changed.
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