Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced on Wednesday that the government has begun discussions with its international partners to obtain the aid necessary to fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
The aid required would not compromise Mozambican sovereignty, he stressed. “It is necessary to respect what should be done by the country itself, and what should be done by its allies”, Nyusi said.
Allies from abroad “will not come to replace us”, he added. “They will come to support us”.
“Our government has already told the international community what it needs to confront terrorism”, he said.
Nyusi was speaking at Heroes’ Square in Maputo, during the celebrations of Mozambican Women’s Day. He confirmed that the Mozambican defence and security forces have recaptured the town of Palma, which had come under terrorist attack on 24 March.
The terrorist group goes under many names. It is known locally as Al Shabaab, but also uses the name Ansar al-Sunna. Since 2019, it has pledged allegiance to the self – styled “Islamic State”, leading to its designation as “Islamic State Central African Province” (ISCAP) – even though Mozambique is not in Central Africa.
Islamic State boasted of the attack on Palma on its website, but the terrorists have now been driven out of the town, as witnessed by Mozambican and foreign journalists who have visited Palma three times since the Mozambican forces took control. On the latest occasion, journalists were able to drive from the Afungi peninsula, about 15 kilometres from the town, into Palma, without any mishap.
Nyusi warned against any triumphalism – despite retaking Palma “there is no reason to proclaim victory”, he said. He called for firmness and unity among Mozambicans while actions continue to drive the terrorists out of the entire province.
Nyusi added that, as commander-in-chief, he has instructed the defence and security forces to continue their anti-terrorist drive, in order to restore order and security in Cabo Delgado, but without making any grand proclamations about their activities.
“We didn’t choose the war in Cabo Delgado – it was imposed on us”, he said. The terrorist actions “are intended to intimidate us. They want to be the masters of our fear. Rather than just occupying geographical space, the terrorists want to occupy our souls, robbing us of hope, and sowing discord”.
“We are facing an uncompromising war”, he warned, “but in this battle we reaffirm our certainty that, if we are united, we are able to win. United, we shall defeat terrorism, We Mozambicans, with the support of our friends, shall overcome this threat. That’s why we are modernizing our defence and security forces, providing them with adequate logistics. We are endowing our army with professionalism and specialist equipment”.
“We have no choice but to work to restore public order and tranquillity in the affected districts”, Nyusi added.
He announced that the government has created a ministerial task force, which will immediately deal with the problem of perhaps as many as 30,000 people displaced from their homes by the terrorist attack in Palma.
A meeting would be held on Thursday of the Defence and Security “troika” of SADC (Southern African Development Community), and Nyusi has also called a meeting of Mozambique’s own National Defence and Security Council.
“We shall put together our experiences to form a united front to prevent and combat terrorism”, he declared.