Mozambique’s President and a rebel leader signed a landmark peace deal in Maputo on Friday, ending a two-year conflict that has rekindled memories of the country’s brutal civil war.
President Armando Guebuza and Mozambican rebel Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, who came out of hiding on Thursday, signed the deal in front of around 100 diplomats and dignitaries, according to media reports.
For two years government forces and fighters loyal to Dhlakama have clashed, with the rebel leader accusing the state of reneging on a peace deal that ended Mozambique’s brutal civil war.
Around one million died as a result of the 15-year conflict, which ended in 1992.
The peace deal is to see Renamo fighters integrated into the military and the party given a greater say in election oversight bodies.