Mozambique: We need wise management of natural resources for benefit of all – Graça Machel

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Mozambique: We need wise management of natural resources for benefit of all – Graça Machel

4:33 CAT | 12 Sep 2022

Photo: Twitter

Mozambican social activist Graça Machel on Monday in Praia warned about the “very big risks” of the armed insurgency in northern Mozambique and called for a “full and complete” management of resources for the benefit of all.

“Right at the beginning, when we started talking about gas, we always insisted that it should not become a threat, but unfortunately the risks are very big,” recalled the activist, who is in the capital of Cabo Verde at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva.

Graça Machel participated, on Saturday, in Tarrafal de Santiago, in a conversation with the head of government on issues of development, education, gender equality and the fight against poverty, and today she was received by the President of the Republic, José Maria Neves.

The former wife of the first Mozambican President, Samora Machel and widow of the South African historical leader Nelson Mandela, is also a special guest of the Pedro Pires Institute for Leadership (IPP) to talk this afternoon about the challenges of female leadership.

The event takes place today, the day of Amílcar Cabral’s birth, in 1924, who, if he were alive would have been 98 years old (he was assassinated on 20 January 1973).

Urged to comment on the armed conflict in the north of her country, she said it is not only the issue of insurgency, but also how resources should be managed.

“With or without insurgency it is necessary to manage the resources with full and complete awareness that these resources are to serve each and every Mozambican,” she said, considering that mechanisms are needed to allow all Mozambicans to benefit from the resources.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but has been terrorised since 2017 by armed violence, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since a year ago by forces from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects but leading to a new wave of attacks in other areas, closer to Pemba, the provincial capital, and in Nampula province.

There are about 800,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Graça was honoured by the Prime Minister of #CapeVerde – Ulisses Correia e Silva as a special guest during the ‘Prime Minister Speaker Series, which took place on Saturday. They discussed #Africa #development and #leadership issues.
Watch https://t.co/hK5L9NrEcj

— GracaMachelTrust (@G_MachelTrust) September 12, 2022