Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, on Tuesday said that the armed groups operating in Cabo Delgado province had lost almost all the ground they had occupied but warned of the need for vigilance because the enemy was dangerous.
“At this moment, we have recovered almost all the ground that the terrorists had occupied, and combative clearing and clarification operations are underway,” Nyusi said.
Nyusi was speaking in the northern city of Nampula during a speech alluding to the celebrations of Victory Day, which marks the signing of the Lusaka Accords, initialled on 7 September 1974 between the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) and the Portuguese government, paving the way for the proclamation of the country’s independence.
“The enemy-hunting offensives we have carried out in recent weeks with the Defence and Security Forces at the forefront (…) are suffocating the enemy,” he said.
Success in the war against armed groups in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, is supported by the government forces of Rwanda, the military mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and veterans of the national liberation struggle, Filipe Nyusi said.
“At this moment, we are committed to the re-establishment of energy, water, mobile phone, banking, roads, bridges and health centres infrastructures, among others,” Nyusi said.
The Mozambican head of state said that the people displaced by the armed violence in Cabo Delgado feel encouraged to return to their homes due to the expulsion of the armed groups.
“The situation improves every day, which leads to some people returning; however, we advise them to observe the recommendations” concerning the security measures to be observed, he said.
He pointed out that among the “ringleaders” of the armed groups are citizens of Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), Somalia, Rwanda and Kenya, who “recruit” Mozambicans for their actions.
“The ringleaders of this criminal group have never shown their faces, and therefore the Mozambican people still do not know them,” he said.
Nyusi said that the actions of the armed groups resulted in the death of more than 2,000 people, the flight of more than 850,000 and the destruction of hundreds of social and economic infrastructures.
The Victory Day celebrations were marked by the awarding of decorations to 1,547 veterans of the national liberation struggle across the country to recognise their achievements in the war against Portuguese colonialism.
