Mozambique. European Parliament wants to ‘awaken’ international community and an action plan

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Mozambique. European Parliament wants to ‘awaken’ international community and an action plan

2:47 CAT | 18 Sep 2020

File photo: Lusa

The European Parliament on Thursday called on the European Union (EU) and the international community to draw up an “effective action plan” to respond to the humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique, which “has been deteriorating at an alarming rate”.

In a resolution adopted yesterday in Brussels [full text HERE], with 616 votes in favour, 13 against and 57 abstentions, the European Parliament (EP) “expresses its grave concern” about the humanitarian emergency situation in Mozambique. It regrets that, “in spite of its brutality and the horrible loss of life, the situation in Cabo Delgado failed to attract international attention, which meant that precious time to effectively tackle the issue at an earlier stage was lost”.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) therefore call for a more coordinated regional and international effort to respond to the humanitarian and security crisis in Cabo Delgado, urging the EU and member states to work closely with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to resolve the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region and develop an “effective action plan”.

“The EU is ready to start a dialogue with Mozambique to find effective options for the implementation of EU assistance, taking into account the complex and regional character of the situation,” the resolution reads.

The EP “invites the Government of Mozambique to be more responsive in this dialogue and in cooperation with the EU and the SADC; and encourages, in this regard, cooperation between the Mozambican authorities and all levels of civil society in an effort to find an inclusive solution and to urgently address the needs of the most vulnerable”.

The EP argues that “further diplomatic action should be put in place, particularly from those Member States that share historical and friendly links with the country, in order to stress the need for urgent action on this issue with its regional security and humanitarian dimensions and draw the government’s attention to the geopolitical consequences that will result from the lack of a coordinated regional and international response”.

The European Parliament warns that it is also necessary to take measures to eliminate some of the underlying causes of terrorism, such as insecurity, poverty, human rights violations, inequality, exclusion, unemployment, environmental degradation, corruption, misuse of public funds and impunity.

On the other hand, the EP reminds the Mozambican Government of its responsibility to bring “all those suspected of terrorist activity to justice through fair trials”. It also calls on the Government of Mozambique to launch “an independent and impartial investigation into torture and other grave violations allegedly committed by its security forces in Cabo Delgado, and recalls that Mozambique is a party to the ICCPR, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN Convention against Torture, which prohibit torture and other ill-treatment and arbitrary deprivation of life”.

The resolution also “calls on the Mozambican Government to openly cooperate with international institutions such as the UN Special Rapporteurs, and to allow independent human rights investigators and monitors into the country”.

“The barbaric actions attributed to Al-Shabaab should not be met by further violations of human rights by the security forces of Mozambique,” the resolution emphasises.

The EP expresses its “serious concern that the insurgency is gaining increasing support among regional and international terrorist organisations”, pointing, in this context, to “the unfortunate similarities with other regions, such as the Sahel and Horn of Africa”.

“if not stopped, the insurgency will potentially grow and spill over into neighbouring countries, threatening regional stability,” the resolution adopted by the EP after a debate yesterday says.

In the debate, several Portuguese MEPs urged the EU not to ignore the situation in Cabo Delgado.

“It is serious, very serious, the forgetfulness that the international community and the European Union in particular voted for the situation in Mozambique. The pandemic does not excuse everything, it cannot be the veil that covers what is happening in northern Mozambique,” the leader of the PSD delegation, Paulo Rangel, declared.

In the same vein, Carlos Zorrinho (PS), addressing the Commissioner responsible for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, who represented the community executive [Commission] in the debate, also argued that the EU cannot “take refuge in the excuse of the complexity [of the situation], nor of the pandemic, to abandon the people of Cabo Delgado”.

Marisa Matias, from Bloco de Esquerda, said it was necessary to “denounce what is happening [in northern Mozambique] and end the silence”, arguing that “condemning terrorist attacks and ‘jihadism’ is fundamental, but it is not enough”. It is necessary to “denounce and stop the exploitation of natural resources” which has seen multinationals “compete like vultures to gain access to the region” as if “nothing is happening” in northern Mozambique.

For its part, while reiterating its solidarity with the Mozambican authorities and people, the European Commission yesterday described Amnesty International’s recent report on human rights violations in northern Mozambique as “extremely shocking”, and called for a “transparent and effective” investigation into all allegations, including those involving members of the Mozambican security forces.

Source: Lusa