Mozambique: Government distributes fishing kits on Ibo Island – photos

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Mozambique: Government distributes fishing kits on Ibo Island – photos

3:19 CAT | 03 Sep 2020

All photos: Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Celso Correia, has been distributing fishing gear on Ibo Isalnd in Cabo Delgado, as part of the support offered by the Integrated Development Agency of the North (ADIN).

“There was an investment made by ADIN to secure fishing kits and this is one of the islands [covered]. [Ilha do Ibo] has about 3,000 fishermen, some of who will get engines [for their boats], and others fishing gear,” Celso Correia told journalists.

The support to Ibo Island is part of the programme being developed by ADIN, a state entity launched on Monday by President Filipe Nyusi and founded to promote the development of Mozambique’s three most northerly provinces.

According to the head of state, support for victims of armed violence in Cabo Delgado is one of the functions of the agency, which should also coordinate all actions in the other two provinces in the north of the country – Nampula and Niassa.

Ibo Island was severely affected by Cyclone Keneth, which hit Cabo Delgado in April 2019, causing the death of 45 people and affecting another 250,000.

The island has also taken in hundreds of people displaced from nearby districts by the armed violence in Cabo Delgado.

“There have been several attempts by insurgents to enter [the island], but the Defence and Security Forces in coordination with the community have managed to maintain and preserve an orderly environment,” Celso Correia said.

The minister stated that the island is now experiencing “peace and security”, but warned that this “does not mean that there is no threat”.

Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has been the target of attacks which have killed at least 1,059 people in almost three years, as well as destroying much infrastructure.

According to the United Nations, armed violence has led to the flight of 250,000 people from districts affected by insecurity in the north of the province.

Several international entities now classify the attacks as a terrorist threat. Some of the actions have been claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.