« Back to Accord

Cease Fire: General Peace Agreement for Mozambique

Implementations

Cease Fire – 1992

The General Peace Agreement for Mozambique had a provision for UN peacekeeping. As soon as the peace agreement was signed and before the establishment of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ), the interim Special Representative and a team of 21 military observers drawn from existing United Nations peacekeeping missions arrived in Mozambique on 15 October 1992.¹

Before the arrival of the UN military observers, Radio Mozambique in the capital of Maputo reported that “the Mozambique Armed Forces (FAM) and elements of the Mozambique National Resistance (MNR) had clashed for the first time since the signing of the peace agreement when MNR forces attacked a FAM position at Charre, about 10 km from Mutarara in Tete Province, on 14th October”.²

A first group of 10 UN cease-fire observers from the USA, France, and Russia arrived in the capital. A document cited by ‘Noticias’ stated that the Supervision and Control Commission (CSC), which was established in November 1992 as per the General Peace Agreement, regarded the retaking of Lugela by government forces as a clear violation of the cease-fire accord. The document, which was issued by the CSC on December 2, urged the Mozambican government to honor the accord and adhere to the structures that had been created to uphold the peace process.³

There were no further violations of the cease-fire agreement.

“Mozambique: United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ),” UN ONUMOZ, accessed September 2, 2010, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/onumoz.htm.
“Mozambique Government and Rebel Forces Clash in Tete; UN Observers Arrive,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts/The Monitoring Report, October 16, 1992.
“Mozambique Commission Says Recapture of Lugela Was Violation of Peace Accord,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, December 10, 1992.

Cease Fire – 1993

The government team of the CSC sent a note to UN Operations in Mozambique in response to a RENAMO communique signed by Raul Domingos, head of the RENAMO team of the CSC. In the communique, RENAMO stated that “our military strategists will select a strategic target whose destruction will mean an end to the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO)”. The RENAMO communiqué was a violation of the spirit of the peace agreement.¹

However, no violation of the cease-fire was reported. Both the government and the rebels reiterated that they no longer wanted violence.

“Mozambique: Government Notifies UN about “Serious” MNR Violations,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, August 7, 1993.

Cease Fire – 1994

The cease-fire was successfully implemented during the transitional period. Since the 1994 elections, no significant political violence had been reported. However, tensions between the government and the opposition still existed. Criminal activities were not a rare occurrence, but political violence was very rare.