What You Need to Know
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo highlighted the critical link between national defense and economic independence during a military year opening in Chimoio. He warned that without peace and a robust military response to terrorism, particularly in Cabo Delgado, the nation cannot achieve its economic goals. Chapo called for a modern and well-prepared armed force to address contemporary threats.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Friday warned the country’s military leadership “we are living in a time of profound geopolitical transformation”, in which “contemporary threats have ceased to be linear”.
The threats today, he said, “are hybrid, asymmetrical, transnational and technologically sophisticated”.
Speaking in the central city of Chimoio, at the opening of the 2026 operational military year, Chapo declared that this new context “makes it imperative that all countries should have armed forces that are well prepared, modern, morally firm and strategically oriented”.
For Mozambique, he stressed, this was particularly important because of the Islamist terrorism that has been plaguing the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2017.
He warned “we are not going to achieve economic independence without robust defence and without peace”.
Chapo told the defence ministry and the general staff of the armed forces (FADM) that they must regard the fight against terrorism as “your strategic mission so that this evil does not endanger achieving the great dream of the Mozambican people, which is gaining economic independence”.
“We should operate with integrated vision, rigorous planning and disciplined execution”, he said. The fight against terrorism should be at the top of the agenda of the Defence Ministry and of the armed forces, “but without forgetting the other threats that hang over the country”.
The veterans of the independence struggle had won the country’s independence, Chapo added, “but our generation has the responsibility of consolidating the defence of the motherland and to fight to attain economic independence”.
“Today, fighting for the motherland does not mean fighting against fascist colonialism”, he continued. “It involves expelling the terrorists from our country and struggling against organised crime and any other action which disturbs public order and tranquillity”.
National defence had land, sea and air components. “Every port that is protected, every road that is guaranteed, every agricultural field that is stabilised, every energy project that is safeguarded are part of the battle for economic sovereignty”, said Chapo. “Hence, we state that national defence is not a cost, but is a strategic investment in the future of the Mozambican people”.
Faced with the contemporary threats, the armed forces need to be well trained with sustainable logistics and with strong land, sea and air components.
“But above all, we need armed forces that impose respect and bring dignity to their uniform”, said Chapo. To achieve this, the FADM “must be a school of discipline, a forge of patriotism, an example of national unity and guardians of human rights”.
Despite international cooperation, “the defence of the motherland is not to be delegated”, he stressed. Allied forces are welcome, but “the defence of Mozambique is, in the first instance, the responsibility of Mozambicans”.
Since gaining independence in 1975, Mozambique has faced various challenges, including civil conflict and more recently, the rise of Islamist terrorism in Cabo Delgado. This ongoing conflict has hindered economic development and stability in the region. President Chapo’s remarks reflect a broader recognition of the need for a strong military response to ensure national security and economic progress, emphasizing that peace is foundational for achieving the country’s aspirations for economic independence.
