20 March 2008
Maputo — The preliminary report from Mozambique's National Forum for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), submitted to the government on Wednesday, considers that "there are no external threats from neighbouring countries against Mozambique, and regional security is well preserved within SADC (Southern African Development Community)".
The report draws this conclusion from an exhaustive analysis of democracy and political governance in Mozambique, looking at the likelihood of any external threats to peace, stability and security, within the overall framework of the APRM self-assessment which is supposed to allow citizens to express their concerns about various aspects of governance.
The document points to a number of internal factors which, if handled badly, could threaten stability. These include the climate of tension and political violence which is frequent in election periods, the cost of living and unemployment, high levels of poverty, corruption, and crime in the urban centres.
Added to these problems are the circulation of small arms in the country (and weapons left over from the war of destabilisation), a growing sense of regional or tribal identity, social exclusion, and conflicts over land rights.
The report warns of vulnerability deriving from the activities of organised crime, notably traffickers in drugs and guns, and the "apparent" incapacity of the state to deal with the current crime wave.
The report notes that while the refugees who enter Mozambique (mostly from the Great Lakes region) are not in themselves a threat to peace, "those foreigners involved in crime threaten stability and the interests of Mozambican citizens and businesses".
Despite these worrying factors, the report considers that a return to war in Mozambique is only "a remote possibility", while dialogue, consensus and compromise solutions prevail.
The report recommends that consensual measures be taken to eliminate definitively the presence of "armed men" (a term normally used to refer to those fighters of the former rebel movement Renamo who were never demobilized but still hang around old Renamo bases in the central districts of Maringue and Cheringoma).
The APRM National Forum also wants measures to encourage citizens to blow the whistle on trafficking in drugs and firearms and the adoption of more punitive legislation against these offences.
Also assessed in the report are economic governance, corporate governance and socio-economic development.
With the preliminary report now in the hands of the APRM focal point, the Minister of Planning and Development, Aiuba Cuereneia, the government must now analyse it, and make its comments. These will support the drafting of the APRM National Action Plan, which will accompany the final report. That report should be presented by President Armando Guebuza to the next African Union summit in July.
Sam/pf (447)
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