Mozambique: Chissano calls for social cohesion to prevent insurgents from recruiting youth

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Mozambique: Chissano calls for social cohesion to prevent insurgents from recruiting youth

7:32 CAT | 19 Sep 2023

Photo: O País

Former Mozambican head of state Joaquim Chissano on Monday called for “effective social cohesion” in the country to avoid young people being recruited into the ranks of terrorist groups in northern Mozambique, considering that the country is facing a “hidden enemy”.

“We need effective social cohesion so that our young people and community members are not recruited to the terrorist cause,” said Joaquim Chissano, during the national conference on “Peace, Security, Reconciliation and Development”, taking place in Maputo.

The former Mozambican statesman considered social cohesion a relevant element in the context of conflict and insecurity in the country, saying that the concept contributes to “building resilience mechanisms” in communities in the face of violence.

For Joaquim Chissano, Mozambique faces a still hidden enemy, which does not present its demands, leadership or objectives.

“This is a model of so-called hidden terrorism, where no agenda is presented, but there are continuous terrorist acts against the public and institutions,” said the former president of Mozambique.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing armed insurgency for almost six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

On the ground in Cabo Delgado, the Mozambique armed forces have been fighting terrorism – in attacks that have been taking place since October 2017 and which have restricted the progress of natural gas production projects in the region – since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The conflict in northern Mozambique has already displaced a million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, while the current Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, has recognised “more than 2,000” fatalities.

Source: Lusa