Sant' Egidio entered into contact with the conflicting parties. In May 1988,
Archbishop Conçalves (a former member of the community) met with Dhlakama,
the leader of the RENAMO, thus generating the feeling that the resistance
movement was being taken seriously as a political force.
Stage 2:
Shuttle diplomacy
During 1989, Gonçalves and other church representatives practiced shuttle
diplomacy between the two opposing groups to build up trust and create the
prerequisites for direct negotiations. Faced with a military standstill and
the catastrophic situation of the civilian population, the parties agreed
to meet directly.
Stage 3:
A first meeting in Rome
In July 1990, representatives of the FRELIMO and the RENAMO met secretly for
the first time on neutral grounds at Sant' Egidio in Rome. Under the brokerage
of Sant' Egidio members, initial distrust was reduced and the foundations
for further negotiations were laid.
Stage 4:
Mutual recognition as negotiating partners
The meeting in Rome laid the foundations for conflict resolution in the
strict sense: the conflicting parties came to recognize one another as
legitimate partners for conversations and negotiations.
Stage 5:
Difficult peace negotiations
In joint public appearances, the conflicting parties demonstrated their
commitment to the peace process and bound themselves to pursue agreement.
Nevertheless, the negotiations dragged on over two years and the civil
population continued to suffer under the ongoing warfare. Time and again,
the resurgence of violence between the FRELIMO and the RENAMO undermined
the trust, which had been built up and threatened the peace process.
Despite criticism, however, the mediators remained convinced that the two
parties should themselves find a permanent solution, and so they refused
to put pressure on them.
Stage 6:
Mutual recognition as the legitimate government and the political opposition
After two years of negotiations, the conflicting parties finally agreed to
lay down arms. The RENAMO accepted the ruling political system and the
FRELIMO government recognized the RENAMO as a legitimate political opposition party.
Stage 7:
Detailed negotiations and the peace treaty of 1992
The details of a peace treaty were worked out. Now and then, as needed,
representatives of the UN and of various observer nations
(USA, USSR, Portugal, Italy etc) were called in as consultants –
a characteristic feature of the negotiating style of
the “Rome General Peace Accords”.
In August 1992, President Chissano and rebel leader Dhlakama met personally
in Rome. In September, the remaining open questions (return of the refugees, new elections)
were settled in Botswana. In the beginning of October, the peace treaty was
undersigned, which laid the groundwork for the transformation of the political
system into a democracy.
At the end of October 1994, the first free democratic elections were held under
international observation: there were no serious incidents. FRELIMO leader Chissano
retained the presidency; the RENAMO, with 38% of the parliamentary seats, took up
the role of the opposition.
