Your Excellency, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique,
Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Mr Ossufo Momade, Leader of RENAMO,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honored to be in the beautiful city of Maputo, to witness this landmark signing of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and RENAMO.
On behalf of the African Union, I wish to salute the peace-loving people of Mozambique and to congratulate President Nyusi and Mr Ossufo for the courage and leadership in achieving this great step towards national reconciliation and unity.
The amnesty granted to former RENAMO combatants and their demobilization and reintegration into society is a vital milestone in ending one of Africa’s longest running conflicts.
I would like to commend the commitment of the two leaders to work together to address the remaining peace and security challenges facing the country.
I call on all parties to respect the commitments made, and to implement them in good faith for the benefit of all Mozambicans. You can rely on the full support and solidarity of the African Union in this important endeavor.
Allow me to appreciate the efforts that you and your Government are making to ensure free and fair general elections in October, 2019.
The African Union is pleased to have accompanied these efforts by providing technical support to the electoral bodies.
We look forward to deploying election observers to monitor and generally support the electoral process in the country in October.
Your Excellency Mr. President,
Mozambique faces others major challenges, including combatting the effects of climate change and the threat of terrorism.
Your country continues to teach us and the world about national resilience in the way the people are struggling to rebuild their lives after the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai, the strongest cyclone on record to ever hit the Southern Hemisphere.
Mozambique and the other countries affected by this natural disaster earned the respect, solidarity and support of the region, the continent and the international community.
I urge the international community and the private sector to take advantage of this atmosphere of peace and reconciliation, to invest in the ongoing national reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I welcome the necessary security measures the Government is taking to combat terrorism and transnational organized crimes. Mozambique is not alone in the fight against these menaces. The African union Commission stands ready to support national and regional efforts.
As you all know, peace, security and sustainable development are our top priorities in the continent to achieve the Africa We Want.
Therefore I welcome the signing of this peace agreement. Indeed, the upcoming signing on august 17th the political agreement in Sudan is a strong reinforcement of our flag ship project of Silencing the Guns, which is the theme of the year 2020.
Let me end by thanking the President Nyusi, the Government and the people of Mozambique for their warm welcome and once again congratulate them for this great achievement.
Muito Obrigado !
