“There’s no shooting in Mozambique” – Nyusi visits SADC’s Regional Early Warning Centre

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“There’s no shooting in Mozambique” – Nyusi visits SADC’s Regional Early Warning Centre

9:06 CAT | 27 Apr 2017

MMO (File photo) / President Filipe Nyusi

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Gaborone, and reassured the regional organisation that the political situation in Mozambique is calm, and there are no longer any exchanges of gunfire.

Nyusi was received by SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax, and was briefed in particular on the operations of the Regional Early Warning Centre (REWC).

He thought it his duty to explain to SADC and REWC what was really happening in Mozambique, especially since he had found among members of the Mozambican community with whom he spoke on Monday a perception that a war was still under way.

“There’s no shooting, as people imagine”, said Nyusi. “It’s important that I give you some information about Mozambique, because you are consulted about what’s going on in each SADC member state. So when you hear it from me, it’s easier to handle the information and disseminate it correctly”.

He guaranteed that the political situation is calm, although there are sharp debates which the president thought “bear witness to democracy in the country. Those debates you hear about should not frighten you. They’re not a reason for conflict, since they are the result of a democracy that is growing by leaps and bounds”.

Nyusi recognised that the military hostilities last year had caused concern among Mozambicans, and in the region, but everything had changed when Renamo declared a truce that took effect on 27 December.

He said he has been in regular contact with Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, and that he had made his most recent phone call to Dhlakama from Gaberone. “Everything is being done to ensure that calm and a cessation of hostilities prevail in Mozambique”, Nyusi added.

He explained that, in addition to his own talks with Dhlakama, two working groups have been set with members appointed by the government and Renamo to deal with questions of decentralisation and military matters. International experts are present in this dialogue, Nyusi added, but their role is not to mediate or facilitate, but merely to support the debate with their expertise.

As for Mozambique’s economic situation, Nyusi announced that the government is working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the introduction of further economic reforms. These are intended to make Mozambican public companies profitable, and re-establish the high rates of economic growth that Mozambique had been experiencing up until last year.

Nyusi took the opportunity to stress the need for SADC to move faster on implementing its industrialisation strategy, and reaffirmed Mozambique’s commitment to regional integration.

Nyusi said he was impressed by the explanation he receive about the Early Warning Centre from the SADC director of defence and security Jose Cardoso, who said the Centre monitors threats of a security nature but also those arising from social and economic factors.

Source: AIM