Mozambique: Conflict in Cabo Delgado ‘aimed at dividing country’ – president

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Mozambique: Conflict in Cabo Delgado ‘aimed at dividing country’ – president

4:18 CAT | 14 Aug 2020

Photo: Presidency of the Republic

Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, on Friday alleged that the conflict in Cabo Delgado province is being fuelled by people who want to divide the country because of its mineral riches.

Nyusi spoke after visiting a displaced persons centre in Metuge district as part of a working visit to Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, which has been plagued by armed violence since 2017.

“Part of this [displaced] population has left Quissanga district [one of the worst affected] because of the war waged by people who want to divide us because of our wealth,” the president said in a brief message posted on his Facebook page.

The head of state also called on Mozambicans to remain vigilant and continue to hope for “better days,” as well as encouraging government forces to remain firm in defence of the people.

“We must remain vigilant and hope for better days to come,” he added. “We encourage the young people of the Defence and Security Forces, who work night and day, to continue to fight for the tranquillity of our people.”

Quissanga, just over 100 kilometres from the provincial capital of Pemba, was among villages attacked in late March by armed men, who destroyed several buildings, including the local administrator’s residence, and forced residents to flee.

At the wake of the attack, in a video posted on the internet that was filmed in broad daylight at the Quissanga administrator’s residence, a man claiming to be a jihadist said that the attacks in the region were aimed at imposing Islamic law in the region, in what is seen as the first message disseminated on the spot by perpetrators of the attacks.

In the last week the insurgents have carried out a series of attacks on the villages of Anga, Buji, Ausse and the main town of Mocímboa da Praia. According to figures released by government forces, at least 59 “terrorists” were killed in the fighting.

On Wednesday, armed groups invaded the port of Mocímboa da Praia, with the resulting clashes leaving an unknown number of people of dead, including members of the government forces, according to information given to Lusa by an army source.

Mozambique minister of defence, Jaime Neto, said on Thursday that the armed groups are infiltrating communities and leading attacks against the town from the port facilities.

Mocímboa da Praia is one of the province’s main towns, situated 70 kilometres south of the spot where construction is underway on a project to pump and process natural gas in which several international oil companies, led by Total of France, are involved.

The events are similar to what happened in Quissanga, where the settlement was invaded and occupied for a day by rebels on 23 March, with responsibility later claimed by the Islamic State; on 27 and 28 June the town was the scene of lengthy clashes between government forces and insurgents.

In Cabo Delgado, the attacks by armed groups that began in 2017, including in Mocímboa da Praia, have already claimed at least 1,059 lives.

According to the United Nations, armed violence in Cabo Delgado has so far forced 250,000 people to flee from the worst-hit districts in the north of the province.

Source: Lusa