Veterans’ Politics from Above

Abstract

Though peace negotiations between Frelimo and Renamo were lengthy and complex, the signing of the peace agreement in 1992 was the beginning of an even more challenging process: the implementation of peace, demobilization of combatants, and staging of the first national multiparty elections. While elections provided a forum for the expression of the multiple political interests within Mozambique, the broad arena of the peace process encompassed a far larger number of political interests external to the country, in the form of the United Nations, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, international nongovernmental organizations, and civil society bodies such as churches. The peace agreement set out guidelines for the demobilization of combatants and for the holding of elections, but omitted details of postdemobilization policy for veterans. When Frelimo won the 1994 elections with a majority in parliament, the party assumed that this meant it would henceforth be responsible for setting the policy agenda. It therefore replaced the bipartisan commissions, established during the peace process to allow Renamo a strong say in decision making, with governmental bodies or appointed committees. Renamo, for its part, attempted to maintain its special role and the privileges it had enjoyed during the peace process, by continuing to call upon the international community for support.1 Though this approach enjoyed some success in garnering resources for Renamo, the opposition party’s role with respect to policy making for veterans was minimal. The government and external agencies were the primary players involved in setting and implementing policy for postwar reconstruction, including the “reintegration” of demobilized soldiers from both armies. This chapter explores their motives and approaches, and the outcomes for veterans’ postwar politics and broader Mozambican society.KeywordsAssembly AreaPeace ProcessPeace AgreementDistrict GovernmentAssistance AgencyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.