Africa-Press – Mozambique. The CDD encourages the Defence and Security Forces and foreign troops in their fight against terrorism in the north and centre of Cabo Delgado, but, according to CDD director Adriano Nuvunga, it is necessary to go beyond the military response and plan for the development of the affected areas.
“This first involves respect for human rights, including for the internally displaced. Their right to return to their land, the right they have to see their areas developed not only in terms of infrastructure, but also with socio-economic networks being re-established,” Nuvunga explains.
Dialogue with insurgents
The region has been plagued by terrorist attacks since October, 2017. With foreign military support, Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces have managed to halt the insurgents’ advance and restore security to regions which were once the scene of armed confrontations.
Adriano Nuvunga says it is now necessary to understand the causes of the conflict and explore the path of dialogue with the attacking group.
“After all, what happened? And how can one create a platform to discuss with all those who were at odds with the state of order and tranquillity you were witnessing? Who were they, after all? What they’re saying is that it is important to militarily persecute people, but it is necessary to find them. It is necessary to catch them, to make contact so that we can talk. This should be, from our point of view, the way in which the Mozambican state addresses this and others conflict,” he stresses.
Asked by journalists on the sidelines of a workshop in Pemba how dialogue would be conducted with a group that does not have a public face or any discrete claims, Nuvunga advises talking to young people who identify with the group.
“Many are victims. They are recruited in their communities and trained. So they have to be treated as victims. We need to improve our understanding of what the problem is, and from there, where the problem is will lead us to the actors. And the actors here are the ones who were on the front line.”
Development of local communities
Promoting development in local communities is also one of the solutions to the conflict in Cabo Delgado that the CDD proposes.
The authorities in the municipality of Pemba, capital of the province of Cabo Delgado, agree with the organisation on this point.
“The wealth is ours. And for the wealth to be ours, we need trained young men and women. To prevent them from being diverted into illicit activities, especially terrorism, we need to seriously embrace vocational training, to forestall young people complaining all the time that they don’t have a job,” Florete Mutarua says.
The mayor recalls, however, that “to have a job, young people need competence and qualifications”.
“Right now, the municipal council is committed to selecting young people, creating a partnership with associations, national and international companies to contribute to the development of Mozambique,” he explains.
The CDD-promoted workshop on the conflict in Cabo Delgado started in Pemba on Wednesday and finished on Thursday, October 14.
