Mozambique: ‘Hidden debts’ were aimed against Cabo Delgado rebels – ex-president

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Mozambique: ‘Hidden debts’ were aimed against Cabo Delgado rebels – ex-president

6:07 CAT | 26 Sep 2024

Photo: Armando Emílio Guebuza /Facebook

Former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza has said that the “hidden debts” that his government mobilised were aimed at preparing the country against the imminence of armed attacks in Cabo Delgado, regretting that the attempted response was “dismantled”.

“The famous idea of hidden debts is because we had to react to the situation in Cabo Delgado (…). We bought boats and trained people,” said Guebuza.

The former Mozambican head of state, who led the country between 2005 and 2015, was speaking at a lecture on ‘Progress and Challenges in Contemporary Mozambique’, on the occasion of the Day of the Mozambique Armed Forces, which takes place on 25 September.

“It is obvious that there has been a dismantling of the structure that was designed [to combat the insurgents], which has favoured instability in Cabo Delgado province,” he added.

Guebuza stated that the fight against the armed groups was hampered by the “lack of internal unity”, noting that the mobilisation of resources for the fight against the insurgency was considered a “betrayal”, not referring exactly to the currents that obstructed the war efforts against the rebels in Cabo Delgado.

READ: Mozambique: “There are external forces that create disorder through terrorism” – Guebuza

Armando Guebuza’s eldest son, Ndambi Guebuza, was sentenced to 12 years in jail in December 2021 for having benefited from money from so-called hidden debts.

Collaborators of the former head of state and leaders of the State Intelligence and Security Services (SISE) from Armando Guebuza’s time were also sentenced to prison for their involvement in the case.

Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.

Discovered in 2016, the debts were estimated at around US$2.7 billion (around €2.49 billion), according to figures presented by the Mozambican public prosecutor’s office.

The case that became known as ‘hidden debts’ plunged Mozambique into a financial crisis, after two decades during which Mozambique was one of the ten fastest growing economies in the world, according to the World Bank.

Source: Lusa