Former Mozambican President JoaquimChissano declared on Sunday that the Mo Ibrahim prize for Achievement in African leadership that he won last week "is deserved by the entire Mozambican
people".
Speaking to reporters at Maputo international airport, after returning from visits to Uganda, Burkina Faso and South Africa, Chissano said "All that I did was possible because I had the
support of the Mozambican people".
Chissano was the first winner of what is the largest individual prize in the World. It will provide him with five million US dollars
spread over ten years, and 200,000 dollars annually for life thereafter.
In addition, a further 200,000 dollars a year is awarded for ten years towards the winner's public interest activities.
Chissano said that when the prize was awarded on Monday he did not know about it, because he was out of telephone contact in an accommodation
centre in southern Sudan for fighters of the Ugandan Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Chissano is the UN Special Envoy for northern Uganda with
the task of facilitating negotiations between the Ugandan government and the LRA.
He only found out about the prize when an African diplomat at the UN managed to get through to the centre on a satellite phone and
congratulated him. "I asked ''why are you congratulating me ?'',and he explained with great euphoria", Chissano recalled.
By happy coincidence, the prize was awarded on the day that Chissano celebrated his 68th birthday.
Asked about the claim made by Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the former rebel movement Renamo, that he is responsible for Chissano winning the prize,
Chissano said "he's part of the Mozambican people, so yes the prize is a tribute to him as well, as to all other Mozambicans".
"When I said this prize is for all the Mozambican people, I wasn't excluding anyone", he added. Chissano admitted, however, that while
it was one thing to distribute honour among the people, the money would not go very far shared among 20 million Mozambicans. He had clearly not decided precisely what to spend the money on, but regarded it as "a seed that must be planted, and then germinate so that we can have more viable plans".
"I shall try to do my best to multiply this money", he said, "so that I and my family can live better, but also bring benefit to the people".
Asked whether he would consider returning to power (in theory, he could be a candidate in the 2009 Presidential elections),Chissano raised his voice to give a resounding "No !""I've given what I had to give", he said. "Now I want to do something else with my life".
Part of that "something else" is clearly to use his considerably diplomatic skills to help resolve problems else where. Chissano was optimistic about
his current task in Uganda - though he stressed that he is only a "facilitator": the mediators between the LRA and the Ugandan government
are the Sudanese authorities.
He noted that currently there is no war in northern Uganda, since both sides are observing a cessation of hostilities, though this falls
short of a full ceasefire. The situation remained fragile, "since everybody is still armed, ready to resume fighting if dialogue fails".
The question of holding LRA leaders responsible for atrocities committed during the conflict was "very delicate", Chissano admitted.
This was not just an internal issue, since the International Criminal Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for four LRA leaders.
"So the methods used by Uganda must be compatible with international standards", he said. "This is a very great challenge".
Nonetheless, Chissano was optimistic that "the will of the Ugandan people will triumph". When he left Kampala, an LRA delegation was about
to arrive to work openly in the Ugandan capital for the first time. He thought this was a significant advance, and showed that the government "is willing to take things forward. I hope they don't retreat".
Negotiations would continue on the key issues of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration into Ugandan society of the LRA fighters. Chissano thought that "so far, there is no reason for alarm", despite reports of divisions within the LRA.
The LRA had once been supported by the Sudanese regime, which used it against both Uganda and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).But
now that the war in southern Sudan is over, and Sudan and Uganda have made their peace, Chissano believed that the Sudanese government was sincere in wanting a negotiated end to the conflict.