Maputo — Afonso Dhlakama has threatened to seize Sofala province if the Mozambican government goes ahead with municipal elections without first reaching consensus with the country's largest opposition party Renamo.

The Renamo leader made his threat during the opening of the party's National Council on Monday in Santunjira, in the central province of Sofala.

The Mozambican government and Renamo have held a series of talks over recent months. In mid-July, partial consensus was reached on the issue of electoral legislation.

The country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, meets in the first two weeks of August for an extraordinary session. This will be Renamo's only opportunity to try to revise electoral legislation before municipal elections scheduled for 20 November.

According to the daily newspaper “O Pais”, during his opening speech Dhlakama said that unless consensus is reached within a week, “I will call my delegation to Santunjira and I will personally resolve the problem”.

Dhlakama accused the government of creating barriers to reaching agreement on key issues. He claimed, “they are playing with the people who every Monday hope to hear of consensus”.

He warned that without a revision to the electoral legislation the municipal elections would not take place. He stated, “if Frelimo insists on the elections, I tell you that national unity is finished. Mozambique will be divided into two or three countries. We will take Sofala and other provinces and declare independence”.