Cabo Delgado: “There is no territory under the control of terrorists”

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Cabo Delgado: “There is no territory under the control of terrorists”

3:10 CAT | 31 Mar 2022

Population on the move, with apparent safety, in Muteda, Muidumbe district

This, at least, is what the governor of Cabo Delgado said on Wednesday (March 30), as authorities continue to try to create conditions for the return of those displaced from their areas of origin.

No part of Cabo Delgado is occupied by terrorists, Governor Valige Tauabo said on Wednesday (30-03) at the start of the VII Ordinary Session of the Provincial Assembly.

Governor Tauabo also noted that the insurgents who carried out attacks in Cabo Delgado’s villages and towns have been weakened by the ongoing operations of the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique, with the support of foreign troops.

“The Mozambican Defence and Security Forces, together with sister forces from SADC and Rwanda, continue to clear the areas once occupied by terrorists, now in disarray and in search of refuge and of means of subsistence,” the governor said.

“There is no territorial unit in Cabo Delgado that is under the control of terrorists, a group that is weakened, without the means or the resources to act against the population or to face the Armed Forces, [who are ] increasingly empowered and better informed to eliminate terrorism,” Governor Tauabo said.

Valige.fb_ — *Governor of Cabo Delgado Valige Tauabo. [Photo: Conselho Executivo de Cabo Delgado]*

Return of the displaced

The head of the Provincial Executive Council said that the displaced families want to return to their areas of origin and that the government continues to try to create conditions for this to happen.

“By 28 [March], 45 leaders from neighbourhoods of Mocímboa da Praia were already there,” he reported.

Resident Representative of @UNDPMozambique 🇲🇿, Narjess Saidane, with the team at work in #MocímboadaPraia, #CaboDelgado. Business as usual is not an option.#Stabilization #Mozambique 🇲🇿 pic.twitter.com/DUzYSu5J9w

— UNDP in Mozambique (@UNDPMozambique) March 29, 2022

Speaking at the plenary of the Provincial Assembly as a guest, António Supeia, Secretary of State in Cabo Delgado, said that civil servants in the northern districts of the province are already returning to work.

Supeiaf.fb_ — Antonio Supeia, Secretary of State for Cabo Delgado. [Photo: Conselho Executivo de Cabo Delgado]

According to Supeia, these officials “will create the basic conditions in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation, access roads, energy and communications for the organised and assisted return of the population to the areas of origin”.

“This will take place, in a first phase, in the districts of Palma, Quissanga and Mocímboa da Praia and, later, in the districts of Macomia, Muidumbe and Nangade,” Supeia said.

Remain cautious

While the Frelimo bench praises the progress made in the security field, the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) denounces the persistence of armed attacks in Cabo Delgado. But both political parties agree that security in the districts plagued by terrorism needs to be strengthened.

António Muzorewa, head of the Renamo bench in the Cabo Delgado Provincial Assembly, says that “in some areas, terrorist actions still prevail”.

“They [the insurgents] only moved out of Mocímboa da Praia and Palma. But they continue to carry out attacks in the Nangade area, for example, although not like before,” Muzorewa said.

For the head of the Frelimo bench, Feliciano Macuamba, caution must be exercised upon return to these areas.

“We never got used to this life of terrorism. It is the first time that Mozambique has experienced this situation. Therefore, it requires a lot of caution for the return of the population. We call the attention [of the population] not to return in any which way – a security guarantee is needed,” the ruling party politician warned.