Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican president on Monday demanded that the government forces fighting terrorism in northern Mozambique remain on the “offensive” despite the “positive results” in Cabo Delgado, considering that the war is not over.
“We are aware of the results we are seeing in the theatre of operations, the return of the public to their areas of origin is visible (…) There is a return to normality in all the districts of Cabo Delgado. At no time should these results mean a slowdown in military operations,” declared Filipe Nyusi, in an address to the nation from the province of Tete, central Mozambique.
The Mozambican head of state was speaking during the commemorations of Mozambique Armed Forces and Defence Day (FADM), which was marked across the country on Monday.
For Filipe Nyusi, although facing cyclical challenges, the Mozambique armed forces must continue to “fight vigorously”, reiterating that “Mozambique has every right to defend itself and preserve its dignity”.
“We cannot make the mistake of deactivating the power of the defence and security forces when we consider that the battle has been successfully overcome (…) The defence and security forces are not in the defensive phase, they are in the offensive phase,” declared Filipe Nyusi.
Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces Day, a public holiday, pays homage to the then young fighters of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), the current ruling party, who launched the national liberation war against the Portuguese colonial regime on 25 September 1964.
The war lasted ten years until the proclamation of national independence on 25 June 1975.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for almost six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
On the ground in Cabo Delgado, the Mozambique armed forces have been fighting terrorism – in attacks that have been taking place since October 2017 and which have restricted the progress of natural gas production projects in the region – since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The conflict in northern Mozambique has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED
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