Mozambican president and Renamo leader seal cease-fire agreement

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the former rebel movement Renamo, have formally approved an agreement on the cessation of hostilities which their representatives signed on August 24.
The Mozambican Parliament, the Assembly of the Republic will hold an extraordinary meeting next week in order to ratify and make it into a law.
A statement issued on Friday afternoon by the Mozambican Presidency following the approval said that Guebuza has already sent the signed agreement with Dhlakama to the Parliament in order to transform it into a law. The statement considers transforming the agreement into a law as a matter of urgency.
No date was set for the sitting but sources in Maputo have assured that it will be next Monday.
Speaking after the signing of the agreement, Afonso Dhlakama, who arrived on Thursday night in Maputo, where he was not seen in the last five years, said that "Mozambique and the Mozambicans should from now on look for the future with hope."
Guebuza said that the endorsement of the agreement means that "we have assumed at highest level the immediate end to hostilities in Mozambique."
The agreement to end military hostilities in Mozambique was signed initially by the heads of negotiating teams namely Jose Pacheco, from the government and by Saimone Macuiana from Renamo, on August 24.
With the endorsement of the agreement to end the hostilities, the leader of Renamo, who is also the party's candidate for the October 15 presidential elections, can now freely start his electoral campaign.
The other two presidential candidates are Filipe Nyusi of the ruling Frelimo Party and Daviz Simango of the Mozambique Democratic Movement party, who have been campaigning since the end of August.
On the other hand, the Mozambican government has already sent invitations for the foreign military observers who will monitor the cessation of hostilities between the Mozambican government and Renamo.
Government sources have assured that they will arrive in Mozambique next Tuesday and as soon as the observers arrive, "they will familiarize themselves with the terms of reference for monitoring", and begin to work on the key elements of the agreement "namely the cessation of hostilities, the integration of the residual forces of Renamo into the police and the armed forces (FADM), and the economic reinsertion of those who prefer not to join the army or the police. Then we shall be certain that neither Renamo nor any other political party will remain in possession of military equipment and armed men."
The foreign mission is to be known by the acronym EMOCHM (International Observer Military Team for the Cessation of Military Hostilities). The countries invited to send observers are Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Cape Verde, Portugal, Italy, Britain and the United States, and it was agreed that it will be in Mozambique for 135 renewable days.