Mozambique: HRW accuses Maputo of trapping Cabo Delgado locals

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Mozambique: HRW accuses Maputo of trapping Cabo Delgado locals

8:07 CAT | 09 Aug 2021

File photo: Lusa

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on the Mozambican government to lift restrictions imposed on the movement of thousands of people fleeing the war and to “immediately help” civilians “trapped by fighting in Cabo Delgado province”.

The human rights organisation stressed that “more than 88,000 people have been displaced from the embattled Palma district following the March 24, 2021 attack by Ansar al-Sunna, an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).1” and that “government security forces have imposed restrictions that have prevented tens of thousands from leaving, placing them at risk from fighting and aid shortages.”

Many civilians have sought refuge in the village of Quitunda, about five kilometres from the city of Palma, where they lack water, food and other basic services, according to HRW. “People who managed to escape from Quitunda said that government soldiers prohibited people from leaving the village and physically assaulted those caught trying to flee,” the statement said.

““Government forces have international legal obligations to assist people threatened by fighting and food shortages to move to safer areas,” Mausi Segun, Africa director for HRW, said in the statement.

“The Mozambican authorities should immediately allow civilians to leave Cabo Delgado combat zones and ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need.” she added.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) spoke by telephone between last March and July with 32 people, including displaced persons, relatives of trapped residents in Palma, aid workers, army officers, and journalists, and claims it corroborated their accounts by analysing satellite imagery of fighting in the town of Palma and massive fires in the surrounding areas since late April.

“During the 24 March attack, armed men identified as members of the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sunna by their clothes, language, and weapons burned houses and farms. Witnesses said the attackers killed at least seven people, including family members and neighbours of the witnesses,” HRW says.

“Since the attack, HRW has documented abuses by government security forces, including restricting people’s movement and beating and mistreating them,” it adds.

On the other hand, people who fled from Quitunda and Palma to Pemba in May and June said that the Mozambican government soldiers severely restricted the movements of the population.

““Soldiers didn’t allow us to leave Quitunda, but there is nothing there, no food, no medicine, and the water is dirty,” said an unidentified 28-year-old man, quoted in the statement.

“When aid arrives occasionally, we fight each other for it. I tried to flee Quitunda three times before. Soldiers caught me and whipped me hard,” he added. He finally escaped after befriending a soldier, who “helped him in exchange for his civilian clothes so that he too could escape,” also according to HRW.

Persistent insecurity and government restrictions continued to hamper access for humanitarian groups operating in Cabo Delgado province, the NGO stresses, listing some incidents, such as that of “a senior official from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF), who visited the region and reported that bureaucratic obstacles prevented the delivery of aid.”

“Two senior army officers said in May and June that the army was not allowing people to leave because it believed members of the armed group were hiding among them,” HRW says.

Human Rights Watch revealed its findings and requested comments in an email sent to the Mozambican Ministry of Defence but “received no response”.

“Under international humanitarian law, government forces and non-state armed groups are obliged to protect citizens under their control and remove them from the vicinity of military operations. All parties need to facilitate the delivery of aid,” says the NGO.

The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) also obliges “African member countries to assist internally displaced persons by meeting their basic needs, including allowing and facilitating rapid and unimpeded access by humanitarian organisations”, the organisation further recalls.

Government security forces in Mozambique, have imposed restrictions that have prevented civilians from fleeing combat zones, placing them at risk from fighting and aid shortages. Authorities should immediately ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need.https://t.co/pC8fFFTH7F pic.twitter.com/PJnblhvp4y

— Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) August 6, 2021