Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Saturday expressed his concern at the involvement of some of "our fellow countrymen" with the terrorist groups who have been attacking parts of the northern province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017.
Speaking in Maputo, on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of Mozambican independence, Nyusi warned that terrorism is a real threat to the sovereignty and independence of the country. He urged all those jihadists who want to redeem themselves and resume normal lives, to hand themselves over to the authorities.
"We lament and condemn the involvement and participation of some of our fellow countrymen in the ranks of the terrorists as informants in the affected areas", declared the president.
"I am launching a vigorous appeal to all those sons and daughters of Mozambicans who are in the ranks of the terrorists, who are regretful and want to return to their families and communities, to present themselves to the authorities", he urged. "Then we can jointly rebuild our districts".
Despite the continued terrorist raids, Nyusi declared that not a single district capital, administrative post, or even village, is currently in the hands of the jihadists. Thanks to the joint operations between the Mozambican forces and their allies from Rwanda and from SADC (Southern African Development Community), he said, it has been possible to restore the authority of the Mozambican state in all the regions that had once been occupied by the terrorists.
But there was no room for complacency, and Nyusi called for greater vigilance in order to stamp out the foci of terrorism throughout Cabo Delgado.
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"We reiterate our appeal for people's vigilance so that we can break up the terrorists' network of informants and logistics", he said. "In this way we will be supporting the defence and security forces in the fight against violent extremism".
Turning to Mozambique's new role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Nyusi said Mozambique takes dialogue as its reference point, regarding it as a cornerstone in international relations. Mozambique, he pledged, would ally this principle to its own experience as a "post-conflict state", and would pay great attention to the fight against terrorism.
"The position that we will now occupy means that Mozambique has added responsibilities in conflict management at local, regional, continental and international level", he stressed.
