Maputo — Former Mozambican guerrilla leader Afonso Dhlakama, who was due to run for the presidency next year, died on Thursday, aged 65. Dhlakama, who headed the former rebel Mozambique National Resistance movement (Renamo), was found dead in the central town of Gorongosa, a party stronghold, state broadcaster TVM said on Thursday. It gave no details of how he died. President Filipe Nyusi, whose ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique movement (Frelimo) fought a long and bitter civil war against Renamo, said Dhlakama’s death marked "a bad time" for Mozambique. "To me, [it] is even worse because I was in a full alignment with him to solve the problems of this country," he said on TVM. Members of Dhlakama’s party have clashed with government forces since he lost a disputed election four years ago, but he was set to run again against Nyusi in 2019. Dhlakama’s forces and Frelimo fought a long bush war in which about 1-million people are believed to have died. It was ended in 1992 ...
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