“We did not choose the Cabo Delgado war, it was imposed on us”, says PR

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“We did not choose the Cabo Delgado war, it was imposed on us”, says PR

1:15 CAT | 08 Apr 2021

Photo: O País

It was the first time that the President of the Republic used the term “war” to refer to the attacks on Cabo Delgado. In view of the latest developments in terrorism in the province, Filipe Nyusi announced that he has convened the National Council for Defence and Security, sent ministers to Pemba to support the displaced, and opened the doors for international aid in the fight against terrorism.

On the day that the country stopped to celebrate Mozambican women, the President of the Republic opened the book and dedicated a large part of his speech to the issue of terrorism in Cabo Delgado and the recent attacks on Palma. Filipe Nyusi says he shuddered at the brutal way in which the attackers launched the raid.

“On March 24, at 4:00 p.m., terrorists burst into the headquarters town of the district of Palma with gunshots, opening fire on civilian targets, some of which were well selected. The terrorists brutally killed, with utter contempt for human life, dozens of innocent people who worked heroically for the well-being of their families, and dozens more suffered serious and minor injuries. The brutal nature of terrorist action knows no limits. The attacks against defenceless populations, including children, reveal the total absence of humane and civic values,” the President of the Republic began, before recognising the reason for the repercussion of the latest attacks.

“In recent weeks, following the attack on the town of Palma, the situation in Cabo Delgado has received a lot of national and international attention. All of this attention is legitimate,” he said.

The president addressed the impact that terrorist action is having on gas exploration projects and the accelerated development that Palma was experiencing recently.

“This town and the adjacent Afungi peninsula are close to the natural gas deposits. It is in this region where the foundations for the exploitation of this resource so important to our economy are being laid. The town serves as the basis for construction works and provides logistical support for works underway in Afungi. So it is that Palma has, in recent years, experienced a rapid evolution in terms of infrastructure, including hotels, banks and service providers. The Afungi peninsula is also the locus of various other constructions, such as camps and residential areas with access roads and its own aerodrome,” he observed.

“They want to intimidate us”

In view of this scenario, and associated with the propaganda spread by the terrorists, Nyusi said that he had no doubt that such actions “aim to intimidate us”, and that the evildoers “want to be the owners of our fear. More than occupying a geographical space, they [the terrorists] want to occupy our soul, stealing hope and sowing discord. As a government, we have a sense of the gravity of this situation,” he said,

“We did not choose this war, it was imposed on us,” he added. This is why “we have no other option but to work with determination to restore public order and tranquillity in the districts affected.”.

Filipe Nyusi used the occasion to recall the suffering experienced by those who, disoriented, went into the forest to escape the evildoers. “In order to escape death, entire families launched themselves into the woods, with their youngest children, traveling long journeys, their only certainty fear, thirst and hunger,” he related. “In order to escape the cruelty of the terrorists, these people survived in conditions that none of us can imagine. There can be no greater barbarity, no greater crime against life and human rights than that which the populations of the districts of the northern area of Cabo Delgado are experiencing.”

Terrorists trained abroad

Even with the Defence and Security Forces retaking Palma town, Filipe Nyusi was cautious as to the progress made, saying that the fight, against an enemy financed by criminal activity, was still ongoing.

“We are overcoming a condition of decades, of years without solid investments in the defence and security sector. We reiterate that the victory in Palma cannot be understood as the proclamation of a final victory. It was an important achievement, but the victory over terrorism requires constant vigilance from all of us. Many in the ranks of the terrorists in Cabo Delgado have been trained and ideologically formed abroad, and their activities are essentially financed by illicit means and organized crime.”

“Those who come from outside will not replace us”

In his speech, the President of the Republic made it known that the government requested international help to face terrorist attacks, and that the request was being evaluated so as to determine in which areas partners could support the country.

“Those who arrive from outside will not come to replace us, they will come to support us,” he said. “This is not empty speech; it is a sense of sovereignty, a question of knowing that no war is won unless it is clear from the beginning.”

After taking an X-ray of the current situation, the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence and Security Forces advanced short, medium and long term measures to address the threat.

“With all the information collected and consolidated on the ground, the government created the working group composed of ministers, who will immediately deal with the problem of displaced persons, in its various aspects. At the level of our region, in the coming days, we will again gather experiences to form a united front for preventing and combating terrorism. It is in this context that we have called for tomorrow [06-03 – today] a meeting of the SADC ‘Double Troika’ to assess the security situation in Mozambique. The National Defence and Security Council was also convened, a meeting dependent on background information and the presence of some members on the ground,” he said.

In closing, the Head of State reiterated that the government does not and will not tolerate actions that jeopardise the human rights of the population of Cabo Delgado, and that all possible cases of suspicion will be subject to investigation and sanctions.

Graça Machel, social activist

“The President of the Republic said everything needed about the country. I am happy that it happened in this context of celebrating the engagement and determination of Mozambican women. Today, 50 years have passed without Josina Machel. She remains a source of inspiration for my family’s values, which I must preserve.”

Samora Machel Júnior, politician

“Women in Mozambique cannot celebrate, they cannot be celebrating because of the suffering they are going through, of very large losses. It is time to unite and strengthen our women. Women are the most visible face of the conflict in Cabo Delgado. We have to give hope to women, we have to give hope to this country, and we must all work and protect women, because they are the pillar of society.”

Nyelete Mondlane, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Action

“The President of the Republic spoke very well about our challenges for the future. Speaking of perspectives, we will dedicate ourselves, with the necessary unity and commitment, to solving the problem of terrorism in Cabo Delgado. In relation to women and girls, in particular, let us continue to provide opportunities for the economic empowerment of our women. Let us protect our girls so that they remain in school!”

Verónica Macamo, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

“We have to unite to defeat the enemy that invades our land, that kills, destroys and wants to demoralise us with objectives that are still unknown. To the women who are suffering at the moment, our best wishes for an abundance of courage. It is difficult to live in a situation of distress, of sadness, of having lost all the effort of a lifetime, of not knowing where your partner or child is. And for other women, let us celebrate in solidarity with those who suffer.”

Mariazinha Niquice, Secretary General of the Mozambique Women’s Organisation OMM

“We join the solidarity movements so as to contribute to helping our brothers who are going through difficult situations. The real situation is sad; an accommodation centre will never be like home. And, because we are in a pandemic, we continue to roll out the prevention measures against the new coronavirus. message. We are deployed at all levels, including reception centres, where we started producing masks some time ago.”

By Raúl Massingue

Source: O País