Mozambique: Many groups independent from Mondlane in protests - government
Cabo Delgado: Minister defends “local forces”
2:57 CAT | 10 Feb 2022
File photo: DW
- The work carried out by forces led by ex-combatants against insurgents in northern Mozambique is more important than legal issues, says Defence Minister Cristóvão Chume.
This Wednesday (02/09), Minister Chume called for unity among the so-called “local forces” led by former liberation struggle combatants who took up arms to defend communities from the insurgent attacks that have beleaguered Cabo Delgado province over the last four years.
“Instead of focusing on what divides us, we should focus on, and should support, even if just morally, the work they are carrying out on behalf of communities,” Chume said in response to questions from journalists concerning the legality of such forces carrying weapons.
“Those who think there are legal issues should support the Government and the institutions for the best solutions” in legal terms, “instead of criticising what is happening”, he said.
At various points in time during the armed insurgency afflicting Cabo Delgado since 2017, attacks have been repelled by former independence struggle fighters, who at times have persecuted and killed members of rebel cells.
Read: Mozambique: 235 members of “local forces” fighters awarded – Watch
Last week, President Filipe Nyusi awarded several individuals during the 3 February Mozambican Heroes Day, with an emphasis on 230 members of such ‘local forces’.
Legal issues can be discussed later
Minister Chume said yesterday that the defence provided by these voluntary groups took priority over legal issues. “I look, above all, at the importance of the work they are carrying out, at the lives they are saving, the communities that they are protecting,” he said.
“I don’t think that [legal issues] are unimportant, but we can discuss how to approach them at a later date,” the minister of defence said, reiterating that, for several communities, the issue has been one of “life and death” .
Read: Mozambique: “Anonymous heroes” fight against terrorism – Nyusi | Watch
Terrorism emerged and “people, in a spontaneous way, organised themselves with the means that they had to protect their machambas [vegetable gardens], their families and communities. They requested weapons”, Chume said.
Chume drew parallels with the struggle for independence, saying that the people whose actions are now being called into question “liberated this people, this land, with less knowledge than they might have today”.
“These are the same people who are taking up arms again to support our country. If it weren’t for them, some communities wouldn’t today be living a peaceful life,” he concluded.
Read: Mozambique: Local forces kill four alleged insurgents – witnesses | Lusa
Insurgents killed in clashes with Muidumbe militia – MediaFax
Mozambique: Militia ambush Cabo Delgado terrorists – AIM report
Source: Deutsche Welle
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