Mozambican President links France’s call for trips to Cabo Delgado to ‘agenda’

This Sunday, the President of Mozambique expressed discomfort with France’s call for its citizens not to travel to Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, due to the “terrorist threat”, even while talking about the agenda.

“Every country has an agenda and the agenda is agreed upon and integrated. There must be some reason why such a statement was made,” Filipe Nyusi said on the sidelines of the African Union summit taking place in Addis Ababa.

The head of state of Mozambique said that it can be expected that the French authorities, given their friendship with Mozambique, will decide to support Maputo and cooperate with it in the fight against the terrorist threat.

The French Embassy in Mozambique appeals to French citizens not to travel to the towns of Mocimboa da Praia, Pemba and Palma in Cabo Delgado (north) due to the “terrorist threat”.

“Due to the presence of terrorist and kidnapping threats in the cities of Mocimboa da Praia, Pemba and Palma, it is strongly recommended not to travel to these cities, as well as to travel on the roads connecting these places,” the message said. travelers, published on Wednesday by the French Embassy in Maputo.

In the same reaction, Filipe Nyusi states that the statement comes at a time when the African country is “working hard to prove to the world that Mozambique is committed to its partners in the fight against terrorism.”

French multinational TotalEnergies planned to build a $20 billion (about 18.6 billion euros) natural gas production and export plant near Palma, but work has been suspended since 2021 due to terrorist attacks.

“The situation is not what it was,” said the head of state, assuring that the new wave of terrorist attacks is the result of the actions of several people.

“The country won’t stop, the world can’t stop,” he retorted.

Attacks by rebel groups have been reported in several villages and roads in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, including attacks on vehicles, kidnapping of drivers and demands for money from the population to travel on some roads.

The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a terrorist attack in Macomia, Cabo Delgado, that killed at least 20 people, one of the deadliest in months.

Through propaganda channels, the terrorist group documented with images an attack on Mozambican military positions, seizing military materials, and claimed another attack in Chiura.

Macomia District Administrator Thomas Badae confirmed on Monday that rebel groups operating in Cabo Delgado attacked Defense and Security Forces (DSF) positions in the district between Friday evening and the early hours of last Saturday.

This happened at the Mukoyo administrative post, 45 kilometers from the Macomia district headquarters: “Yes, they captured the position and attacked it, but we have no further information about whether they are still there or have already left it.”

On Tuesday, an attack, also claimed by IS, was confirmed in the Cure region, destroying several infrastructure sites and churches. The target was the headquarters of the Mazeze administrative post in the interior of the Chiure district, where insurgents set fire to the hospital, the secretariat of the administrative post and the residence of the head of the administrative post, the Chiure district administrator said.

“The infrastructure is practically destroyed,” Oliveira Amimo said, adding that rebels destroyed a chapel belonging to the Catholic Church.

Cabo Delgado province has been subject to attacks claimed by IS for six years, leading to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) liberating areas near IS projects.

After a period of relative stability, new attacks and movements have been recorded in Cabo Delgado in recent weeks, although local authorities suspect that the movement is related to harassment carried out by defense and security forces in the districts of Macomia, Quisanga and Muidumbe, including those who were injured most.