Mozambique Elections: Four detained in riot in Moatize - Notícias
File photo: PSD no Parlamento Europeu
The leader of the PSD social democrat delegation to the European Parliament, Paulo Rangel, called on Monday for “urgent intervention” by the EU in the face of the “drama” in northern Mozambique, and said he was surprised by the silence of the head of European diplomacy.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Social Democrat MEP pointed out that the situation in northern Mozambique, which has been the scene of insurgent attacks for over two years, was addressed at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Over the last few weeks, I have been multiplying contacts and efforts with my fellow Members to raise awareness of this issue. It is an invisible but rewarding job when we know we are supporting a just cause and when the end result is positive. It was finally possible to include a formal debate in committee,” he said.
Rangel pointed out that during the debate, which was attended by a representative of the European External Action Service – the EU diplomatic corps – he called for “urgent intervention by the EU” and stressed “the drama experienced by decimated populations and recalled that attacks in the region have already caused more than 200,000 displaced people”.
He said he was still awaiting a written response from EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell on the steps the Union had taken to monitor the situation.
“So far I have not received any response, which I find surprising given the urgency of the situation”, he regretted.
In the debate, Portuguese Socialist MEP Isabel Santos also welcomed the importance of this discussion in Parliament as “the situation in Mozambique is getting worse by the day”.
“The appetite for control of regions that are particularly rich in natural resources and the absolutely opportunistic exploitation of the country’s social and economic difficulties and the lack of prospects for the future of an entire generation to gain space and control of the region must be fought and cannot be tolerated,” she said.
She said the problem should be tackled “from a multidimensional perspective” and not “just from a military point of view, as the Mozambican government has so far done”.
Considering also that it was important for Josep Borrell to speak out on this matter – and not only the services of the diplomatic corps he heads – in order to make known “the political perspective of the European Commission” on this matter, Isabel Santos warned that “what is happening at the moment in Cabo Delgado has a strong potential for growth and spread to other regions of the country and to other neighbouring countries”.
#Moçambique chegou ao @Europarl_PT. Depois de semanas a tentar agendar o debate sobre esta situação dramática (1000 mortes e 500000 afectados), conseguimos! Agradeço aos meus colegas PPE @davidmcallister e @gahler_michael, que tanto me ajudaram a pôr #CaboDelgado no mapa político https://t.co/fITDEAYh8b
— Paulo Rangel (@PauloRangel_pt) July 6, 2020
Armed violence in northern Mozambique has intensified since last March but has been going on for over two years.
The Cabo Delgado region, where megaprojects of natural gas extraction are advancing, is facing attacks from armed groups classified as a terrorist threat and which have killed at least 600 people in the last two and a half years, causing a humanitarian crisis affecting 211,000 people.
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