Mozambique: Clashes, shouting will not solve teachers' problems - president
Photo: Frelimo Moçambique
Mozambique’s ruling Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) party responded yesterday to the European Commission’s request for an investigation into alleged abuses by the security forces, saying that the priority was to establish peace and defend sovereignty.
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“We respect and value all the support of the European Union and other organisations to improve the lives of Mozambicans,” party spokesman Caifadine Manasse said, but, in Cabo Delgado, “there are war zones” which “any type of investigation” may stumble upon.
“We must work first towards peace and stability in the province. We, Mozambicans, must be united in order for there to be peace. And, for that, we need to support the Defence and Security Forces [FDS],” he stressed.
“We will continue to respect the thinking of all international and national organizations, but always valuing our own thinking, because only we Mozambicans must fight and do everything in our power to maintain our sovereignty,” he added.
“It is true that we may need support, moral or any other kind which might arrive, but we Mozambicans, we need to draw our lines,” he stressed.
The European Commission yesterday described the recent Amnesty International report on human rights violations in northern Mozambique as “shocking”, and called for a “transparent and effective” investigation.
Cabo Delgado is Mozambique’s northernmost coastal province, and the site of natural gas mega-projects, but faces a humanitarian crisis with more than 1,000 dead and 250,000 internally displaced as a result of three years of armed conflict between Mozambican and rebel forces, some of whose attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State ‘jihadist’ group, but whose origins remain unclear.
Caifadine Manasse was speaking at a press conference at which Frelimo declared “unconditional support” for the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), in the aftermath of calls for an investigation into alleged human rights violations reported on social media.
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“We have seen the proliferation of videos attacking the stability of the country, the work we must carry out for vigilance,” Manasse said, adding that the footages “should not continue to be used as a weapon to manipulate public opinion”.
“This is the time to support the FDS” and “repudiate any type of atrocity”, Manasse said. Frelimo has dedicated the month of September, with its September 25, Armed Forces, and Revolution Day commemorations, to the members of Mozambique’s armed forces.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are among the organisations calling for an investigation into incidents captured on video that show alleged members of the Mozambican forces torturing and killing captives in Cabo Delgado.
The Mozambican government has already dismissed the images as propaganda put about by “terrorists” in the northern province wearing FDS uniforms, and declared itself open to investigating the circumstances.
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