The president of Renamo, Ossufo Momade, said yesterday that the government's successive announcements about the lack of funds and the unsustainability of pensions for its combatants call into question the guarantees given throughout the implementation of the Demilitarization, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) process.

Momade made this statement after the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, last week blamed Renamo for the delay in concluding the DDR.

"The DDR process should have been closed on December 19 and, unfortunately, it didn't happen because of the systematic failures of the other players," said Ossufo Momade, speaking to the media from the northern city of Nampula.

At issue is the postponement of the closure of the central base of the party's armed wing in the Gorongosa mountains, as part of the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process provided for in the peace agreement signed with the government in 2019.

Among the complaints of the main opposition party in Mozambique are the delays in the pensions that should be paid to demobilized guerrillas, a problem that the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to Mozambique and chairman of the contact group in the negotiations, Mirko Manzoni, had warned about a week ago.

"We are increasingly concerned about the alleged lack of funds and the alleged unsustainability of pensions for our combatants," said the Renamo president, quoted by Lusa.

On Tuesday, the Mozambican head of state defended the need to study mechanisms to guarantee the sustainability of Renamo guerrillas' pensions.

"We are studying a sustainable way of setting up pensions for this group of Mozambicans, so that our countrymen can be integrated into society in a dignified and productive way," said Filipe Nyusi, in his annual state of the nation address to parliament.

The DDR process is part of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement, signed on August 6, 2019 between the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, and the Renamo leader, Ossufo Momade.