Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi today highlighted "efforts" towards pacification as one of the main milestones of his administration, as he marks the third year of his second term in office.

"When our government started in 2015, there was still a record of attacks [in central Mozambique]. We had a war and no one was at peace," declared the Mozambican head of state, during a press conference called to mark the third year of his second term in Maputo.

According to Filipe Nyusi, peace has always been a priority during his time in power, especially with regard to the armed conflict with Renamo, the largest opposition party, which maintains an armed branch that is now being demilitarized.

"We had to work and we have reached the stage we are at: where our Renamo brothers no longer live in the mountains," added the Mozambican head of state.

Although Filipe Nyusi points to the results of the negotiations with Renamo as a milestone, the closure of the central base of the party's armed wing in the Gorongosa mountains was postponed in December due to delays in the pensions that were to be paid to the demobilized guerrillas.

The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process is part of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement, signed on August 6, 2019, between the Mozambican head of state and the then leader of Renamo, Ossufo Momade.

The agreement, which covers 5,221 members of the Renamo guerrilla group, was the third between the Frelimo government and the main opposition force, all signed in the wake of cycles of armed violence between the two parties.

According to Filipe Nyusi, the third year of his second term was also marked by terrorism in Cabo Delgado, a "new" challenge for Mozambique. "It was a new element, our country has never experienced terrorism. We are containing it and managing it to ensure that the country remains stable," he said, pointing out that terrorism is a "universal phenomenon".

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State. (Lusa)