Mozambique: Civil society wants president to ask for international support

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Mozambique: Civil society wants president to ask for international support

7:18 CAT | 30 Mar 2021

File photo: Lusa

Eighteen Mozambican civil society organisations on Tuesday demanded the president, Filipe Nyusi, request international support to combat armed groups in the north of the country, considering that the situation has reached unacceptable proportions.

The position of civil society organisations appears in an open letter addressed to Filipe Nyusi and that the signatories forwarded on Tuesday to the presidency.

In the letter, the organisations want the head of state to activate support from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and other international partners to combat the armed groups carrying out attacks in Cabo Delgado province.

Following the attack by armed groups on the town of Palma, which began on Wednesday, those organisations are advocating the rescue of children, girls, and women in the hands of insurgents.

“We demand regular and timely information from the head of state on the situation in Cabo Delgado, accurate information by gender and age group of the affected populations, including displaced, murdered and kidnapped people,” the document said.

Mozambican civil society also wants regular information from the government on the conditions where the victims of armed violence are being housed.

A space for dialogue with civil society should also be created to coordinate response actions to the humanitarian crisis caused by armed groups.

These organisations also advocate the appreciation and recognition of young soldiers trying at all costs to stop the action of armed groups.

Among the organisations signing the letter is the Foundation for Community Development (FDC), whose president is Graça Machel, one of the most influential voices in Mozambican society and an active member of the ruling party Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo).

According to the Mozambican Defence Ministry, dozens of civilians were killed in the attack in Palma on 24 March.

The violence is causing a humanitarian crisis with almost 700,000 displaced people and over 2,000 deaths.

The Islamic State terrorist movement claimed on Monday control of the town of Palma, near the border with Tanzania.

Several countries have offered military support on the ground to Maputo to fight these insurgents, whose actions have already been claimed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, but so far, there has been no opening for this, although there are reports and testimonies that point to security companies and mercenaries in the area.