In Mozambique, the Renamo opposition party has put increasing pressure on the Frelimo ruling party, raising concerns of a return to the violence that characterized the country’s 16-year civil war after the former rebel group was blamed for attacks that killed two people last week.
“Renamo is increasingly marginalized, and I think Afonso Dhlakama concluded that only through targeted violence can he strengthen his negotiating hand,” Alex Vines, head of the Africa Program at Chatham House, told Trend Lines in an email interview. “This is a high risk strategy, open to miscalculation.”
Dhlakama, who leads Renamo, has operated from the Gorongosa Mountains of central Mozambique since late last year. Renamo has condemned the government’s movement of military forces and weapons toward the area, saying the government’s aim is to target their leader.