Joaquim Chissano: Years of Experience Dealing with Conflict and Building Peace

Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique, talks about his impressive career and the years he spent dealing with conflict and building peace.

“Mozambique lived through a very difficult time, since the country declared its Independence until I became Head of State. There was war, there were many deaths, with thousands upon thousands killed and maimed. There was a great deal of destruction in the country, but we finally found room to bring back peace, though the path of dialogue. This was at first indirect, then a direct dialogue. This was the first thing the world has been able to see in Mozambique and in me, particularly as I had taken part in this process for eleven years as Minister of Foreign Affairs, also dealing with other conflicts in the context of the African Union, which was previously the Organization of African Unity. I then continued these commitments when I was already Head of State, both in the Organization of African Unity and the African Union. There were certainly conflicts. These we discussed, while trying collectively to find solutions. But in the case of Mozambique, this was something I had to deal with directly, and we came to peace. This was what first made countries take notice of me as someone who could help with ideas”, says Joaquim Chissano.

“Secondly, there’s the way I left power as Head of State, when I decided not to run for another term, which was the last opportunity available to me, in order to become President again for another five years. This I decided not to do. All of this led the world to think that I had some experience in dealing with conflict, but also in looking at ways to end conflict and to start building peace”, he adds.

“The peace that we brought to Mozambique was not easy, but it brought us many friends and sparked a good deal of dialogue within our society, along with the return of many freedoms, thus allowing us to begin a new life. This is why I was called upon from the outset by the Secretary General of the United Nations. Interestingly, my first mission was not about conflict, but on MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), as we were celebrating 10 years of the MDGs, which were then being discussed, and he wanted me to be something of an activist in Africa in this regard. He had several of us dealing with different countries. I’m speaking about Secretary General Kofi Annan. He sent envoys to Europe, to Latin America, to Asia, and he asked me to deal with African states. I believe this also contributed to peace, given the relationship between peace and development”, he concludes.