Mozambique: Nyusi inaugurates Mocímboa da Praia’s rehabilitated port and airfield

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Mozambique: Nyusi inaugurates Mocímboa da Praia’s rehabilitated port and airfield

12:09 CAT | 09 Oct 2023

File photo: Notícias

The Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, will be in Mocimboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado, this Monday to inaugurate the airfield and port, destroyed in the terrorist attacks and rehabilitated over the last few months.

On the night of August 4, 2020, armed groups responsible for armed attacks in Cabo Delgado since 2017 invaded Mocimboa da Praia, taking over the airfield and port infrastructure, with clashes with the Defence and Security Forces leaving an unknown number of dead, including elements of the maritime force, in addition to destroying infrastructure.

Rehabilitation began after the security situation stabilised with the arrival in July 2021 of reinforcements from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community.

In the port of Mocimboa da Praia, at least US$7 million (€6.6 million) was invested in the new docking pier and the completion of the access channel signalling system, but ongoing rehabilitation has a total budget of US$30 million (€28.4 million euros), port administrator Helenio Turzão told Lusa.

The aerodrome rehabilitation is budgeted at around 15 million meticais (€222,100), according to data from the Mozambique Airports administration.

READ: Cabo Delgado governor and TotalEnergies country manaer visit Mocímboa da Praia port – Photos

During the months of rebel occupation, Mocimboa da Praia was looted, and almost all public and private infrastructure destroyed, including energy, water, communications and hospital systems.

Almost the entire population – around 62,000 people – abandoned the town, especially after the intensification of insurgent actions in June, 2020.

Combating terrorism on the ground, which has delayed natural gas projects in the region, are the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique, since July, 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Community to Southern African Development (SADC).

The conflict in northern Mozambique has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and cost around 4,000 lives, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, while the Mozambican president has recently acknowledged “more than 2,000” fatalities.

Source: Lusa