Mozambique: IDPs fear not being able to return to their homes

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Mozambique: IDPs fear not being able to return to their homes

7:25 CAT | 13 Aug 2021

New housing under construction for the displaced

War-displaced persons living in Nampula province are happy with the military interventions in Cabo Delgado, but some fear that economic interests will prevent them from returning.

The joint military force’s operations against insurgents in Cabo Delgado are restoring hope to citizens who fled the northern province of Mozambique and are now living in the city of Nampula.

Abdul Momade, 33, who fled Mocimboa da Praia last year, praises the work of the foreign and national troops who have announced that they have recovered the town.

“It’s a good thing these [foreign] troops are coming in, that’s a good thing. The troops must also make efforts to quell the evildoers in Cabo Delgado,” he told DW Africa.

Momade is one of more than 60,000 displaced people from Cabo Delgado living in Nampula province. Since October 2020, he has lived in a house with 17 other people in Nampula city’s Namicopo neighbourhood. His greatest wish is to return to his homeland.

“I want to encourage the government in their efforts and of the troops that are coming in, so that they end this situation and we can go back to our homes,” he says.

Fear of the future

Abdm.dw_ — *Displaced Abdul Momade lives in a house with 17 other people*

Abu Abacar, another displaced person living in Nampula, also commends the efforts of the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) and the foreign troops fighting terrorism, but is worried about the future. Particularly, that he and others may not be able to go back to the areas where they used to live.

“We are appealing [to the government] to, when the terrorism ends, tell us we can return to our homes.”

Abdul Momade is confident that the government will resettle the displaced in their homelands as soon as operations against terrorists are complete.

“And we are going to go there confident that they will give us back our land,” he says.

Muaziza Yahaya, displaced from Mocimboa da Praia and also sheltering in Nampula, does not share this optimism.

“We are afraid of losing our lands. Today they may be saying that they are driving out evildoers, but tomorrow we will lose our lands. We know that our lands have a lot of wealth, so we want the government to alert us [to return] after the fight is over,” he says.

Suspicious population

JóJó Ernesto, analyst and general coordinator of Associação Mentes Resilentes, a Mozambican civil society organization, understands the concerns raised by the population.

“We are now seeing a rush to resettle [displaced] people, as if these people were not going to return to their areas of origin. It is as if they are saying that they will settle here permanently. So, it is a concern, because on the side of the government not even a voice has been raised to say that we want to chase away the terrorists to give back the region to its owners, who are the local population,” she told DW Africa.

Abb.dw_ — *“We are afraid of losing our land” – Abu Abacar*

“This concern is legitimate. People should be concerned. All Mozambicans should come together to demand that conditions be created now for [displaced] people to return to their original areas. Because that is where they are used to having a normal life,” Ernesto adds.

Appeal to transparency

According to Ernesto, the entry of foreign troops has raised distrust in the population regarding possible trade-offs. There are those who think that foreign assistance may not be the result of “good will” only, but hide interests related to the exploitation of natural resources.

JóJó Ernesto therefore appeals to the government to be transparent in order to avoid speculation, and assure the communities of Cabo Delgado that they too will benefit from the natural resources.

“Our government does not learn from its mistakes. It hides everything. We still do not know the contours, in terms of conditions, of the presence of foreign forces. In politics there are games of interest. The government should speak openly about what is behind this military support. It is true that we are interested in peace at the moment. Afterwards we will do the maths, but I just hope that these accounts don’t come out expensive for the Mozambican citizen,” she concludes.

DW Africa tried unsuccessfully to get a comment from the administration.

Source: Deutsche Welle