Mozambique: African Union wants in-depth investigation into reports of abuse

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Mozambique: African Union wants in-depth investigation into reports of abuse

7:56 CAT | 07 May 2021

File photo: African Union

The Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop, has urged Mozambican authorities to investigate reports of violations of women’s human rights in the north of the country and bring those responsible to justice.

“The Special Envoy urges the Mozambican authorities to conduct an in-depth investigation into reports of women’s human rights violations, declare zero tolerance of any form of sexual and gender-based violence, and reinforce efforts to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice,” Diop writes.

In a statement issued on April 30 and seen by Lusa on Tuesday, Diop says she “is following with great concern the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Palma and other districts of Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, and their impact on women and girls”.

In the text, Diop “appeals to the Government of Mozambique, the regional bodies and international community to act swiftly and provide adequate support to the displaced people, especially women, adolescents and children”. In addition, she calls for “the specific and differentiated needs of the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, to be adequately addressed, not only [in terms of] immediate humanitarian assistance, but also in the long-term peacebuilding, development and socioeconomic recovery strategies and plans”.

Diop’s demands echo the statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, issued on 31 March 2021, and the worldwide condemnation of the violence and resulting displacement of more than 714,000 people, largely women and girls.

Also alleged are “an increase in cases of human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, large numbers of children out of school and a spiralling humanitarian crisis. Recent reports reveal that women and young adolescent girls have been increasingly abducted and coerced to play the role as ideologues, facilitators, fund-raisers, and recruiters for the terrorist group”.

Armed groups have terrorised Cabo Delgado since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, in a wave of violence that has already caused more than 2,500 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and displaced 714,000 people, according to the Mozambican government.
The most recent attack, on March 24, was carried out against the town of Palma, causing dozens of deaths and injuries in numbers yet to be ascertained.

Mozambican authorities regained control of the town, but the attack led oil company Total to indefinitely abandon the main construction site of the gas project scheduled to start production in 2024, on which many of Mozambique’s expectations for economic growth in the next decade hinge.

Source: Lusa