Mozambique: Dialogue at the center of Filipe Nyusi’s visit to Cabo Delgado

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Mozambique: Dialogue at the center of Filipe Nyusi’s visit to Cabo Delgado

2:04 CAT | 29 Jun 2018

President Filipe Nyusi (in file CoM)

President Nyusi begins a visit to Cabo Delgado province, the scene of recent attacks, today. Analysts say the importance of the visit comes down to the dialogue that Nyusi will conduct with the populations.

The visit agenda includes visits to Palma and Mocímboa da Praia, two districts which, together with Macomia and Nangade, have been targeted.

The attacks have been carried out by armed groups of alleged Islamic inspiration, and have already resulted in dozens of deaths, several beheadings, an undetermined number of persons displaced and more than a hundred houses destroyed.

The attacks have come as work is under way to exploit natural gas in Cabo Delgado with the involvement of some of the world’s major oil companies. Gas production is expected to start in 2023.

Dialogue in the center of the visit

“I think the importance of the visit lies most in the idea of dialogue,” analyst Alexandre Chiure says.”[President Filipe Nyusi] will talk to the people and they will also have the opportunity to explain how things have happened.”

The visit also fulfils a promise that Filipe Nyusi had made during a recent visit to the province curtailed by bad weather. It is also held two days after the National Defense and Security Council has recommended strong action by the Defense and Security Forces to raise the level of protection of populations and their assets.

Appeal to reinforce surveillance

Chiure hopes that this will be an opportunity for “the president to better understand what is happening, to talk to the people and to encourage them, helping them see that the government is taking action and taking the matter to heart, and that is concerned about controlling the situation”.

He hopes that during the visit Nyusi will launch “a very strong call for reinforcement of neighbourhood and village surveillance to help the Defense and Security Forces find those who have been targeting these defenseless people”.

Chiure notes that “the guerrillas are very difficult to defeat, and because the Defense and Security Forces cannot be everywhere. Cooperation with the population would be useful because these attackers live within the communities. Some of them are known, and then you have to report these people to help control the situation”.

Source: Deutsche Welle