Mozambique: Defence minister asserts that new attacks are not a recrudescence of terrorism – Lusa

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Mozambique: Defence minister asserts that new attacks are not a recrudescence of terrorism – Lusa

5:10 CAT | 29 Feb 2024

File photo: Lusa

Mozambique’s Minister of National Defense, Cristóvão Chume, today confirmed attacks by insurgents in four districts of the province of Cabo Delgado, but asserted that this was not a “recrudescence” of terrorist activities in the north.

“I want to say that this is not what is happening, because if this were actually the case [recrudescence of terrorist activities], we would be saying that there are districts or district headquarters that are occupied, without access by the population. What has happened is that there are small groups of terrorists who left their barracks in the Namarussia area – which we have said is their base – and went further south, attacking some villages and creating panic,” Cristóvão Chume said after a meeting with a high-ranking European Union mission in Maputo.

The Chair of the Political and Security Committee of the European Union (EU), Ambassador Delphine Pronk, ends a visit to Mozambique this Thursday, during which matters are being considered with a view to deciding on the continuation of the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ), led by Portugal, whose mandate ends this year.

This visit to Maputo comes at a time when thousands of people have fled their villages in the south of Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, following several attacks by terrorist groups, seeking safety in other districts of that province and in neighbouring Nampula.

“The situation in Cabo Delgado remains stable, despite the latest events in the south of the province of Cabo Delgado. As is known, some villages in the districts of Quissanga, Metuge, Ancuabe and Chiùre suffered some attacks, which led to a displacement of people to the south, to the province of Nampula, and also to other districts of Cabo Delgado,” the minister acknowledged regarding information provided to the EU delegation.

The minister added that “the commitment of the Defence and Security Forces of Mozambique and its partners to combat and annihilate terrorism in the province of Cabo Delgado continues.”

“I want to say here that two or three armed terrorists who arrive in a village, when the police or the armed forces are not there, and shoot in the air, burn two or three houses, in the era of communications that we have at our disposal, the message spreads very quickly and creates panic not only in those villages, but, of course, nationally and internationally,” Chume stated.

He also explained that Mozambique once again highlighted at this meeting that “the fight against terrorism, not only in Mozambique, but in all parts of the world”, is “difficult, that it requires courage, unity of effort and, above all, that there is not too much anxiety on the part of the national community for immediate results”.

“The process of radicalization that takes place where there is terrorism, often means buying minds, buying people, rooting terrorism in communities. So, it is a fight in which we not only have a military front. We highlight this: that the military front is only the most visible aspect,” he said.

According to the Minister, it is necessary to invest in development programs to “minimise the risk of radicalization” and “prevent the re-emergence of terrorism”.

Still, he warned: “We do not mean to say that there are no incidents of terrorism. Yes, there are. And we will continue to fight. But what happened in the past will not happen again. We are firm in this, but we will watch situations like those [which took place] in Chiúre, in Metuge and other areas, where there are some attacks that we cannot avoid.”

Chume also said that some people displaced by this new wave of attacks were already returning to their villages of origin.

“We also heard from the European Union the commitment to continue efforts to support Mozambique, not only in this training mission, but in other vectors necessary to prevent and combat violent extremism, as is the case, for example, in economic and social development in the province of Cabo Delgado and beyond,” he concluded.

Source: Lusa