Mozambique: SENAMI seeks to strengthen control of foreigners’ migration status

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: SENAMI seeks to strengthen control of foreigners’ migration status

9:14 CAT | 22 Jul 2025

Photo: Lusa

The director-general of the Mozambican National Migration Service (SENAMI), Zainadine Danane, on Monday acknowledged the strengthening of controls over the migration status of foreign citizens in the country as one of the main challenges facing the agency, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

“The challenges are immeasurable. First, we must ensure the full free movement of people and goods within our borders. Then, in the atypical situation we are experiencing, we must guarantee the entry, stay, and exit of citizens from the national territory,” Zainadine Danane answered in response to questions from Lusa on the sidelines of the ceremony marking SENAMI’s 50th anniversary in Maputo.

“There are citizens who enter the country, then remain for an unauthorized period, and that’s it. I think this is one of the biggest challenges: monitoring, permanent monitoring of citizens. But, carefully: monitoring that respects human rights, without compromising economic activity,” Danane warned.

Monitoring the immigration status of foreign citizens is a priority, argued the director-general of SENAMI. “This is one of the biggest challenges the sector currently faces, so that we have, in real time, knowing how many citizens are in the country, where they are, what they are doing, what they came to do, and whether they are complying with their entry requirements, in accordance with the entry regulations established for this purpose,” Danane said.

On March 10, President Daniel Chapo urged the newly sworn into office SENAMI director-general to combat illegal immigration, corruption in the issuance of travel documents, control of immigration movements, and other practices that are harmful to the institution.

“May SENAMI be, in fact, the first internal security belt of our Mozambican state, fulfilling its role of controlling the entry, stay, and exit of foreign citizens from the national territory, ensuring that only foreign citizens who meet the requirements established in our Migration Law enter and remain in our territory,” the head of state said in Maputo.

Source: Lusa