Further meetings between Dhlakama and Nyusi

Further meetings between Dhlakama and Nyusi will be held this month, Renamo head Afonso Dhlakama told Savana (3 Nov). He said the purpose would be to make adjustments to documents on decentralisation which are being drawn up by a working group formed by the government and Renamo. He said he and President Filipe Nyusi would agree documents on the constitutional amendment to allow elections of provincial governors and legislation on provincial finance to be submitted to parliament. “There is no decentralisation or autonomy of a town, district or province unless these places have the capacity to organise their budget”, explained Dhlakama. Nyusi and Dhlakama last met on 6 August, near the Renamo base in the bush of Gorongosa, where Dhlakama has been living since late 2015. A second working group is dealing with military questions, and Dhlakama said this was “a practical matter” that did not need to go to parliament. Dhlakama wants some form of parity between Renamo and the government in the military, as exists in the election machinery. He said that “Frelimo will have to retire some of its officers to make way for ones from Renamo”.