Mozambique: “Nobody who is frightened can command successfully”

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Mozambique: “Nobody who is frightened can command successfully”

7:57 CAT | 14 Dec 2020

Photo: Presidency of the Republic

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday insisted that the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) must fight without hesitation to end the two insurgencies in the country – one by islamist terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, and the other by the self-styled “Renamo Military Junta” in central Mozambique.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Samora Machel Military Academy in the northern city of Nampula, Nyusi declared that the prime task of the Mozambican military is to defend the population so that it can exercise its freedom fully throughout the country.

“There can be no plausible justification for the armed forces not to act, when they are faced with threats to the security of our population”, he added. “Nobody who is frightened can command a military unit successfully”.

The officers who graduated at Friday’s ceremony will command platoons (30 men at full strength), and Nyusi warned them that, if the troops under their command run away from battle, they will be blamed.

“Bear in mind that your success will depend greatly on your readiness and on your vigilance”, he said. “You are going to command on the front line, and so you should never imagine that the enemy isn’t there or won’t come”.

“You must never assume that the enemy won’t attack”, he continued. “Only through your courage will you have the legitimacy and credibility to ensure that your subordinates comply with the orders from above, and from you as commanders of these men and women who want to be well led and well commanded”.

“The day when your troops flee from an operation, are insubordinate, fall into disorder or are defeated, the blame lies with each of the commanders”, Nyusi warned. “You are professional commanders. Don’t let this happen. Always keep your sergeants motivated and at your side”.

The terrorism Mozambique faces in Cabo Delgado, he added, “is a global phenomenon, and a new form of aggression which states must combat without hesitation”.

“There is no political or ideological question that can justify the vile acts of aggression that terrorism represents”, the President continued. “We cannot understand the reason or rationale in the minds of those who, without any scruples, kill our people and destroy our country. The terrorists are seeking sensationalism, despising the life and collective conquests of our people. They destroy public and private buildings, they violate the most elementary of human rights, and they want to make us believe that they are invincible”.

“Once again we urge our people to remain attentive and to define the real enemy, so that we do not lose focus on our agenda to develop Mozambique, to preserve our sovereignty, and to maintain our most noble gain, national unity”, he said. “No state can be peaceful without being strong”.

He urged the newly graduated officers to ensure that their behaviour is beyond reproach, so that they are worthy of the people’s trust. “You must be guided by military values, duties, culture and ethics in order to win the esteem and warmth of our people”, he declared.

Source: AIM