Mozambique faces a “version of war” different from previous ones – Watch

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Mozambique faces a “version of war” different from previous ones – Watch

2:25 CAT | 25 Sep 2020

Screen grab: Presidency of the the Republic

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi said today that the country faced “a version of war” different from previous ones, because it is fighting a “terrorism” characterised by being “unpredictable and diffuse,” Lusa reports.

Referring to the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, during a speech on Armed Forces of Defence of Mozambique Day, the president said: “The youth of the FADM have shown a high sense of patriotism, bravery and gallantry, facing a version of war different from past struggles”.

The Head of State further revealed that on Thursday the FADM “strongly repelled an attack” by armed groups at the administrative post in Bilibiza, Quissanga district, Cabo Delgado province.

Filipe Nyusi did not give further details on the incident.

The President reiterated that Mozambique was the target of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, which required a matching response from the FADM.

“Today, with globalisation, threats are diffuse and more unpredictable, which requires high levels of flexibility and combative readiness,” he said.

Terrorism, trans-national crime, piracy and cybercrime were among the crimes for which states must be prepared, Filipe Nyusi said.

The threats to independence and territorial integrity showed the necessity of modernising and improving the FADM, and the error of treating the military as “a minor issue”.

“It is important that Mozambicans, regardless of their belief, education level, political option or social position, understand the importance of their engagement in security matters, because they are not exclusively [the problems] of the military,” he said.

National defence, he continued, must be a theme that mobilises everyone.

Cabo Delgado is the northernmost coastal province of Mozambique, home to natural gas mega-projects, which is facing a humanitarian crisis with more than 1,000 dead and 300,000 internally displaced – the result of three years of armed conflict between Mozambican and rebel forces, whose attacks have already been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, but whose origin remains unclear.

The central FADM Day ceremonies took place in Maputo and, in addition to the president’s speech, saw the award of medals to 30 personalities from the worlds of politics, sports and science and technology, in recognition of their achievements.

FADM Day is a tribute to the then-young combatants of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), the current ruling party, who on September 25, 1964 launched the national liberation war against Portuguese colonialism.

The war lasted ten years until the proclamation of national independence on June 25, 1975.

Source: Lusa / Presidency of the Republic