Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, will be in Maputo next week as surprise mediator in the government-Renamo peace talks, the Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) confirmed this morning (Wednesday 13 July).
Having previously refused international mediation, government has now invited three very high profile mediators for the talks with Renamo. At talks between the two sides Thursday (7 July) it was agreed that as well as the three mediators chosen by Renamo there would be three mediators chosen by government.
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| Botswana ex-president Ket Masire confirmed as mediator |
The three are:
- Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, seen as close to President Filipe Nyusi.
- Tony Blair. On 20 January the Tony Blair African Governance Initiative (AGI) announced “it is in the early stages of developing a partnership with the Government of Mozambique and has appointed two advisors in Maputo.” Blair visited Mozambique in February 2015, just after the inauguration of Nyusi. Press reports have said the invitation is to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, but it said this morning that it does not work in Mozambique.
- Global Leadership Foundation (GLF). (O Pais 13 July, MediaFax & Zitamar 12 July)
The London-based GLF confirmed this morning that it had been asked “to assist in the talks” and that Masire would go to Maputo next week. The foundation is co-chaired by F W de Klerk and the board includes Chester Crocker; the two are allies from the apartheid era. But another board member is Lynda Chalker, a former UK aid minister given honorary Mozambican citizenship by President Armando Guebuza in 2014. She has longstanding links and is a regular visitor to Maputo; her company Africa Matters is promoting Shell in Mozambique. (Africa Energy Intelligence 10 May) Masire is not on the board, but is a “member” of the foundation.
