Maputo — The Mozambican defence and security forces and their allies have pushed the islamist terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado onto the defensive, claimed President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday.
"We have consolidated control over areas previously occupied by terrorist groups', he told the country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, during his annual State of the Nation Address.
Several terrorist leaders have been killed over the past year, Nyusi said. They included a Tanzanian named Sheik Abu Faza, whom he described as "one of the main mentors' of the terrorist groups, who used to operate in the Cabo Delgado district of Nangade.
Also put out of action were a Kenyan specialist and trainer, known as Buda Black, and a senior Mozambican terrorist from Nangade, Ali Mambondo.
Thanks to the actions of the defence forces, "the terrorists are limiting their actions to sporadic attacks to loot food and other goods from the local population', Nyusi added.
About 75 per cent of the people once displaced from their homes by the terrorist raids have now returned. From those who had escaped from captivity, Nyusi said, the government has learnt that hunger and disease are taking a heavy toll on the terrorists and on their prisoners.
Despite the progress made, he continued, "we remain committed to preventing and fighting the scourge of terrorism'. He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and denounce to the authorities any possible sign of terrorist activity.
Nyusi also called on Mozambicans still in the terrorist ranks to leave their hideouts "and return to the Mozambican family'.
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As for the demobilization of the militia of the main opposition party, Renamo, Nyusi said that all of Renamo's military bases have been closed, and 5,237 former guerrillas have been disarmed and demobilized.
A joint team formed by government and Renamo representatives was now looking after the reintegration of the former fighters into Mozambican society.
This including the granting of pensions: so far, 2,849 of the ex-guerrillas have submitted the documents needed to receive their pensions, and in 1,290 cases the pensions were already arriving in their bank accounts.
Nyusi stressed that the government had taken the decision to grant pensions "in the spirit of peace, reconciliation and inclusion' - since the beneficiaries had no automatic right to a pension, given that they had never made contributions to any pension scheme.
Nyusi expected that the entire pension procedure will be concluded "in the present cycle of governance' (i.e by the time he leaves office in early 2025).
He praised the Renamo leader, "my brother Ossufo Momade', for "maintaining his commitment to peace and national reconciliation', and urged all of society "to contribute to the full and harmonious integration' of the former guerrillas into their families and communities.
