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O País / Deputy Ministre of Defence Patrício José
Mozambique’s Deputy Defence Minister, Patrício José, said in Maputo on Friday said there is not need to send the armed forces (FADM) to combat islamic fundamentalists in the northern district of Mocímboa da Praia, because the police already have the situation under control.
He was speaking to reporters after delivering a lecture at the Armando Guebuza Higher Defence Studies Institute (ISEDEF).
The attacks in Mocímboa da Praia constitute a threat to the Mozambican nation, he said. Nonetheless “the police are already taking care of the situation though, naturally, we are on standby”.
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His remarks came four days after unidentified armed men, believed to be islamists, attacked the village of Chitolo, in Mocímboa da Praia, killing one person and burning down at least five houses.
This was the first attack in the district for two months. The sporadic attacks in Mocímboa da Praia and the neighbouring districts of Palma and Nangade all appear to be the work of the same group, known locally as Al-Shabaab (although, there is no apparent connection with the Somali terrorist organisation of that name).
The police have been on the front line of the struggle against this group. Indeed the insurrection broke out on 5 November last years with three almost simultaneous attacks against police premises in and around Mocimboa da Praia town.
In his lecture, the Deputy Minister spoke of the need to defend the nation against all manner of threats, pointing in particular to cybercrime, and the entry in to the country of goods that endanger the lives of Mozambican citizens.
“Everything that menaces the lives of Mozambicans is a threat, which the armed forces must combat, and they must forecast the situation”, said José. “Some years ago we predicted that the country would suffer from piracy, and it did suffer. So we must always take precautions”.
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