Mozambique: Care is the best cure, warns Health Minister
Mozambique: France “completely willing” to support fight against terrorism – AIM report
6:46 CAT | 19 May 2021
Photo: Twitter / @DefesaNoticias
France has shown “complete willingness” to provide whatever is necessary for Mozambique’s fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, according to President Filipe Nyusi after his meeting in Paris with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Tuesday.
Cited in Wednesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, Nyusi said “we discussed in detail the situation of terrorism. The matter is unavoidable. France has shown great willingness, but it has left sovereignty in the hands of Mozambicans”.
This appears to mean that any French assistance in the fight to defeat islamist terrorism will take into account the lines of intervention laid down by the Mozambican government.
To follow up French declarations of intent, Nyusi said, the two countries must advance quickly to sign the agreements which will define exactly the type of support to be granted by France.
Nyusi also mentioned the meeting he had with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, in which the Portuguese government also stressed its readiness to assist Mozambique in the fight against terrorism. Some Portuguese troops are already in Mozambique, providing the Mozambican defence and security forces with technical assistance and training.
Nyusi told the reporters that, rather than foreign military intervention in Cabo Delgado, the key issue was to build up the capacity of Mozambique’s own forces, to guarantee a sustainable fight against terrorism.
During his visit to Paris, Nyusi also had meetings with the South African and Rwandan Presents, Cyril Ramaphosa and Paul Kagame, and with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, AbiyAhmed Ali.
All these meetings, he said, discussed the summit on financing African economies, called by France, terrorism in Cabo Delgado and the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We reaffirmed our openness to support in the fight against terrorism, by empowering our defence and security forces”, said Nyusi.
In the economic and financial area, he added, the Portuguese government is considering suspending Mozambique’s debt servicing.
Filipe Nyusi made it known that President Mácron was in solidarity with the Mozambicans and condemned the terrorist acts against our country, with the two statesmen pledging to work together to restore security and tranquility and resume socio-economic activities.#Nyusi#Macrom pic.twitter.com/BdLv9ntDkK
— Notícias de Defesa e Segurança em Moçambique (@DefesaNoticias) May 19, 2021
On Monday, Nyusi had met with Patrick Pouyanne, the chairperson of the French oil and gas company, Total, who assured him that Total is not abandoning its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Afungi peninsula, in the Cabo Delgado district of Palma.
Total withdrew all its staff from Afungi, in the wake of the terrorist attack against Palma town on 24 March. But Pouyanne promised that, once the security situation improves, Total will resume work on the LNG project.
“It was good to hear from Total that it stands with Mozambique”, said Nyusi. “It expressed solidarity and showed a certain admiration for the efforts the country is making to restore security”.
Other French companies with interests in Mozambique had told Nyusi that they intend to continue with their investments. Air France, which dropped its Paris-Maputo route decades ago, told Nyusi that it intends to resume flights to Mozambique.
Only the constraints imposed by Covid-19 had held up the resumption of flights, but this is now scheduled for October.
“Although I don’t like to speak before things happen, on this occasion I will say – mission accomplished. A lot is going to happen”, pledged Nyusi.
Source: AIM
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