Attacks in Cabo Delgado: Member of Frelimo Political Commission visits IDPs

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Attacks in Cabo Delgado: Member of Frelimo Political Commission visits IDPs

2:33 CAT | 24 Aug 2020

Tomás Salomão, member of Frelimo's political commission and former SADC Exceutive Secretary, says he found worrying situations. [Photo: Conseho Executivo de Cabo Delgado / Facebook page]

This Saturday (22.08), a member of the Frelimo Political Commission visited the Cabo Delgado districts where most of the displaced people are concentrated, and was asked by displaced teachers for land to build a place to live.

Several teachers, displaced by the armed attacks plaguing the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, this Saturday (22.08) asked the government to grant them land for the construction of temporary places to live in.

The request was made to Tomás Salomão, a member of the ruling party’s political commission, who visited the province to learn about the current situation of the population and the consequences of the armed attacks.

If, already, in their home districts, the task of covering fixed family expenses was a huge challenge for teachers, now that they are displaced, the burden is even greater. Teacher Vasco Racuela worked in Mocimboa da Praia district before moving to Pemba in search of peace, he tells DW.

“Being here in Pemba means redoubling efforts, renting a house, [paying] for electricity, paying for water … We know very well that food prices are always rising. So, it is a very difficult exercise,” he says.

Teachers.cd_.dw_ — *Teachers ask the government to grant land to build temporary shelters*

Similar thinking is shared many other workers in the education sector, who argue that the construction of temporary shelters pending the restoration of stability would allow the decongestion of the homes of those family members who have welcomed them, and minimise costs, in the case of those who are renting houses.

“We ask for the support of the government, as well as the municipality of Pemba, in locating plots and redistributing them for reintegration or for what we would call social inclusion,” Racuela explains.

For his part, Paulo Zeca, a civil servant, questions the reason for such destruction in his country, demanding an investigation that provides concrete answers. “What is being done there, listening from a distance, we can consider as a normal situation, or that has less weight. But in reality, infrastructure like schools, hospitals and banks are being destroyed. All the districts devastated, and us in the situation that we find ourselves, sitting without work … . This is a situation that should be analysed deeply in order to know why it is happening”.

Tomás Salomão, a member of the Political Commission of the ruling party and former executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), assured the population that the government of Mozambique was working to improve the security situation in the places devastated by the insurgents.

Regarding the request for plots for the construction of temporary housing, Salomão promised to forward them to the local authorities for consideration.

Worrying situations

After the visit to Metuge and Pemba, the districts with most displaced people, Salomão said he had found worrying situations that, in his view, should be dealt with urgently.

“In Metuge, our mothers, sisters and children are sleeping on the floor. When I say floor, they are sleeping on the ground. It must be possible to mobilise resources to acquire mats so that children do not sleep on the ground,” he said.

Salomão also said that what is happening in Cabo Delgado was everyone’s problem and appealed to the “characteristic” solidarity of Mozambicans. “Those who at home have an extra shirt or pants, have shoes they don’t wear or goods they don’t need, should remember, first of all, you [displaced],” he urged.

According to the Salomão, more tents and means of food production, such as hoes, machetes and seeds, should be provided.

Source: Deutsche Welle