Mozambique: Turkish ambassador seeks ‘protection’ for investments amid protests

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Mozambique: Turkish ambassador seeks ‘protection’ for investments amid protests

5:47 CAT | 19 Feb 2025

File photo: Amilton Neves/AFP

Turkey’s ambassador to Mozambique on Wednesday asked for “protection” for Turkish investments in the country in the face of the post-election demonstrations that have been taking place since October, in a request made during the presentation of letters to Mozambique’s president, Daniel Chapo, according to the minister of foreign affairs.

The ambassador “referred to one of the factories, the cement factory, and referred to the problems we are having now in relation to prices and asked for his company and other investments to be protected,” said Maria dos Santos Lucas, Mozambique’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, at a news conference after the ambassadors of Turkey and Italy presented their letters of credence to the head of state.

Since October, Mozambique has been wracked by violent protests and stoppages, many called first by the former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who continues to reject the official results of the 9 October general elections, in which he is said to have lost to Chapo.

The protests, which are now on a smaller scale, have been taking place in different parts of the country, with some people also taking part in order to complain about the rising cost of living and other social problems.

During the meeting, Chapo and the ambassador of Italy, Gabriele Annis, and the ambassador of Turkey, Ferhat Alkan, highlighted the historic relations of co-operation between the countries, as well as the “various projects” their countries are undertaking in Mozambique.

“Both Italy and Turkey offer our Mozambicans [scholarships] and also support us in various economic and social areas,” said the minister. “They are strategic countries; there is a strategic partnership with both countries, especially Italy.”

She said that both countries had reinforced their willingness to help Mozambique combat the armed attacks by rebels that have been taking place in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, since 2017.

Since October, at least 327 people have died in the post-election protests, including around two dozen minors, and at least 750 have suffered gunshot wounds, according to Platforma Decide Eleitoral, a non-governmental organisation that monitors electoral processes.

Source: Lusa