Mozambique: Insurgent attacks worrying, new EU focus needed – Portugal minister

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Mozambique: Insurgent attacks worrying, new EU focus needed – Portugal minister

8:31 CAT | 20 Feb 2024

Photo: @RPPortugalUE/X

The Portuguese minister of foreign affairs said on Monday that he is concerned about the worsening conflict in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, and wants a “new approach” from the European Union (EU) to dealing with instability on the African continent.

Asked about the deterioration of the situation in the Mozambican region of Cabo Delgado, which for several years has been the target of incursions by extremist militias affiliated with the Islamic State group, João Gomes Cravinho said that “it is within the realms of concern” that the living conditions of the local residents are getting worse.

The conflict and the acts considered terrorist by the Maputo government have triggered a major displacement crisis, with the community fleeing villages such as Palma and Mocímboa da Praia.

The Portuguese diplomat, who was speaking after a meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the European Union (EU), recalled that a fortnight ago he distributed a document to his European counterparts calling for a “new EU approach to peace and stability on the African continent”, which takes into account the intervention of groups considered to be terrorists and also foreign actors, such as Russia and the mercenaries of the Wagner Group.

The document is being analysed so that there can then be a concerted position among the 27 member states, said the minister.

On Wednesday, the extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Macomia, Cabo Delgado, which killed at least 20 people. It was one of the most violent attacks in several months.

Through propaganda channels, the terrorist group documented the attack on a position of the Mozambican armed forces, carrying war material, and also claimed another attack in Chiúre last week, at the Mucojo administrative post, 45 kilometres from the district headquarters of Macomia, with the destruction of several infrastructures and churches.

Cabo Delgado province has been facing attacks claimed by IS for six years, which has led to a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects.

Já começou o Conselho de Negócios Estrangeiros. O MNE @JoaoCravinho participa nesta sessão, em Bruxelas, durante a qual os 27 vão discutir a agressão da Rússia contra a Ucrânia e a situação no Médio Oriente. Os ministros vão ainda debater os últimos desenvolvimentos no Sahel. https://t.co/6uqbSoUpZi pic.twitter.com/mUCiVQ15eC

— Negócios Estrangeiros PT (@nestrangeiro_pt) February 19, 2024