Aga Khan Foundation concerned about the situation in Cabo Delgado

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Aga Khan Foundation concerned about the situation in Cabo Delgado

3:55 CAT | 09 Apr 2021

File photo: Lusa

The Aga Khan Foundation is concerned about the situation in the province of Cabo Delgado, where it runs several projects, stressing that only the Mozambican state can restore order in the north of the country.

“Our presence there [in Cabo Delgado] depends on the [Mozambican] state. The state has to take a position, to put that in order,” diplomatic representative of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, Nazim Ahmad, told Lusa.

The Ismaili Imamat has several development projects, mainly in Asia and East Africa, which it manages through the Aga Khan Foundation.

With “Mozambican ribs” – like many of the approximately 10,000 Ismailis (led by a living Imam, Prince Aga Khan) who live in Portugal – Nazim Ahmad believes that “there’s nothing that cannot be solved”, even if he follows “with much sorrow” and “a lot of concern” the development of events in northern Mozambique.

Two weeks ago, the violence unleashed more than three years ago in the province of Cabo Delgado escalated still further when armed groups attacked the town of Palma, about six kilometres from the multimillion-dollar natural gas projects.

The attacks caused dozens of deaths and forced the flight of thousands of residents, aggravating a humanitarian crisis that affects about 700,000 people in the province, according to United Nations data.

“This has to be solved,” stresses Nazim Ahmad, especially because the Mozambican people “deserve a better life”.

The Aga Khan Network for Development started operating in Mozambique in 1998, after signing a cooperation agreement with then-president Joaquim Chissano.

Three years later, the Aga Khan Portugal Foundation started programmes covering agriculture, education, health, entrepreneurship, civil society, environment, water and sanitation.

Currently, the Aga Khan Foundation, in collaboration with the Camões Institute, is present in 190 villages in five districts of Cabo Delgado, benefiting more than 197,000 Mozambicans, according to Foundation figures.

“We continue to provide support,” said Nazim Ahmad. “Our support is almost half a million or more, to local communities, which are very dependent on us,” he says.

One of the most prominent projects is the Instituto Agrário de Bilibiza, “totally destroyed” in the recent attacks.

“It was a very big investment that we made in that area,” Ahmad rues. Approximately 600 students had to be moved to other areas so as not to lose the academic year.

According to Nazim Ahmad, the Aga Khan Foundation “is the only one in the province of Cabo Delgado that has no economic interest”. Its interest “is only the good of the Mozambican community and people”, he asserts.

“It has been very difficult for me,” he confesses. “I have dedicated 20 years of my life to this province. As you can imagine, it is not easy for me.” He places his hopes in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), who on Thursday urged “a collective response” to the terrorist attacks.

Several countries have offered military support on the ground to the Mozambican government to combat armed insurgents.

“I am very sentimental,” Nazim Ahmad confesses, referring to the relationship he has developed with local communities in the more than 20 years since, at the request of President Chissano, he established the Foundation in the “poorest” area of Mozambique.

“I was faced with a very drastic situation. The communities looked at me and said ‘Another NGO [non-governmental organisation] coming here to work with us to make money’,” he recalls. He had to convince the community of the Foundation’s intention. “We grew at the request of the villages themselves,” he says.

Nazim Ahmad remains optimistic. In fact, he has a ticket to Mozambique on the 20th. He used to visit the country once a month, but he hasn’t been there for 11 months now. “I miss it a lot,” he says.

The Islamic State terrorist movement has claimed the attack on Palma, on the border with Tanzania, but the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces say they have completely regained control of the village.

Source: Lusa