Mozambique / Attacks: European Parliament calls for “effective and decisive” measures in Cabo Delgado

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Mozambique / Attacks: European Parliament calls for “effective and decisive” measures in Cabo Delgado

2:54 CAT | 30 Jun 2020

Picture: European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs / Twiter / @EP_ForeignAff

The President of the European Parliament’s delegation to the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific / European Union (ACP / EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Carlos Zorrinho, yesterday expressed concern about the violence in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado and called on the executive to take “effective and decisive ”.

In a note attributed to the Portuguese MEP, Carlos Zorrinho considered that “the main priority of the Government should be to bring all suspects with criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials”.

“As a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Mozambique should explore possible options for transnational cooperation,” said Zorrinho, adding that the SADC body for cooperation in Politics, Defense and Security “could be an important element for the management and condemnation of this conflict in the short term ”.

The socialist MEP also said that in the long term an “integrated and coordinated approach” will be necessary, including “the promotion of democracy, human rights, effective local governance and an effective restoration of the rule of law”.

In the note, Carlos Zorrinho defended that the socioeconomic conditions that led to the instability and the growth of violent extremism “need to be addressed as well”.

The president of the European Parliament’s delegation to the ACP / EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly also pointed out that the European Union “is ready to support Mozambique in the necessary economic and political reforms”.

The province of Cabo Delgado, where Africa’s largest private investment for the exploration of natural gas advances, has been under attack since October 2017 by insurgents, classified since the beginning of the year by Mozambican and international authorities as a terrorist threat.

In two and a half years of conflict in this province of Mozambique, it is estimated that at least 600 people have already died and that more than 200,000 have already been affected, being forced to seek refuge in safe places.

🆕 Statement by @czorrinho, Chair of the @Europarl_EN delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, on the continuously deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Northern Province of Mozambique, Cabo Delgado 🇪🇺 🇲🇿

👉 https://t.co/CTuX4Kf9Si pic.twitter.com/s9cZsDjue6

— AFET Committee Press (@EP_ForeignAff) June 29, 2020

European Parliament

Communiqués

Stop extremist violence in northern Mozambique

The Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Carlos Zorrinho (S&D, PT) expresses his serious concerns over the continuously deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Northern Province of Mozambique, Cabo Delgado.

Violence has escalated, including reported killings. In the past three month, some 50.000 inhabitants of the province have been displaced. It seems that the extremist and militant Islamic group locally known as “Al Shabaab”, whose goal is to establish an Islamist caliphate, is responsible for this alarming high level of violence.

In order to prevent further escalations, Carlos Zorrinho calls upon the Mozambican authorities to take effective and decisive action and to protect the citizens of Cabo Delgado. The main priority of the government must be to bring all those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials. As a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Mozambique should exploit possible options for cross-border cooperation. SADC’s organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (OPDS), with a multinational fighting unit for tackling serious counter-insurgency situations, could be an important element for managing and condemning this conflict in the short term.

In the long term, an integrated and coordinated approach will be necessary. This includes the promotion of democracy, human rights, effective local governance and the effective restoration of the rule of law.

Carlos Zorrinho insists that socio-economic conditions fostering instability and violent extremism need to be addressed as well. He stresses that the European Union is ready to support Mozambique in the necessary economic and political governance reforms.

Background:

Since 2017, an Islamist group is responsible for violent attacks, killings and displacements of civilians in particular in the northern province Cabo Delgado of Mozambique. It commits coordinated and simultaneous attacks against civilians and government institutions. Hundreds of people have been killed since then, while according to UN sources more than 210.000, most of them women and children, have had to flee their homes.

Source: Lusa / www.europarl.europa.eu