From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: MOZAMBIQUE: ACCORD TO BRING PEACE -- AND SHOES TO THE PEOPLE
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 01:09:22 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, eastern
Reference: Disarmament & Peace
Title: MOZAMBIQUE: ACCORD TO BRING PEACE -- AND SHOES TO THE PEOPLE


an inter press service feature

by sandie tjaronda

massangena, mozambique, oct 6 (ips) -- sunday's signing of a
cease-fire accord between the government and the mozambique
national resistance (renamo) will not only bring peace and
stability to the country, but also shoes to the people.

about 80 percent of the people of massangena and the nearby
villages in southern mozambique's gaza province walk bare
footed. they cannot afford a pair of shoes.

for the last 17 years of civil war between president joaquim
chissano's government and the renamo rebels, the people of
massangena have walked bare footed through all kinds of weather
and conditions in an area held by renamo.

temperature in this sandy region of mozambique, which became
independent from portugal jun. 25, 1975, ranges from 18 to 38
degrees celcius, grilling their feet into hard-layered soles,
strong enough to beat the heat and thorns.

life has been worsened by the devastating drought that has
hit the whole southern africa sub-region, forcing governments
to seek emergency food aid from the international community.

their houses have been looted and their families maimed and
killed for reasons they cannot understand. their animals were
taken away and killed by renamo, say the war-weary people.

a resident of moteto village, jose xavier, recalls a recent
incident when he had his 130 heads of cattle taken away at night
by unknown armed persons.

i could not stop them as that could have cost my life'',
xavier told ips.

with their naked feet in hot temperatures, they are forced to
walk five km to the nearest borehole for water.

women with babies on their backs and water containers on
their heads seem to be a common feature of the day. the bigger
the container the better.

a shop that caters for massangena lies some five km away
and sells second-hand'' articles at very exorbitant prices.

this has forced many people to go 100 km into zimbabwe for
their shopping. (more/ips)


mozambique: accord (2)

the nearest clinic is seven km away. the four-roomed clinic
is poorly equipped and has three old beds which normally
accommodates maternity patients and critical cases of
malnutrition.

like many areas of this war-torn nation, massangena suffered
many serious cases of malnutrition. however, since humanitarian
relief started trickling into the area, cases of malnutrition
have been reduced, says to phillipe gagniaux, the medical doctor
in the area.

many of his patients refuse to sleep on beds, saying they are
used to sleeping on the dusty open areas after their houses were
destroyed by renamo.

attendance at the primary school, the only one catering for
had had a meal the previous evening.

but these people are peace-loving. all they want is peace,
clothing and food'', gagniaux told ips.

despite their difficult conditions, the people are hard
working. they have their fields ready for planting and look up
to the clouds for the rains to come.

not many people in massangena understand politics. the few
who do, pray the cease-fire agreement should be put into
practice to avoid more bloodshed and suffering.

the war in mozambique has cost the former portuguese
colony about one million lives, displaced six million others and
turned the country the world's poorest nation, according to the
united nations and the world bank.

the cease-fire agreement signed in rome, italy, sunday is
expected to lead mozambique to its first multi-party elections
in october 1993.

president chissano is expected to present the accord to the
mozambique parliament for ratification as soon as he returned to
maputo, the capital, before the end of the week.
(end/ips/st/apc/92)
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