Maputo — Daniel Chapo, the candidate of Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party for the presidential election scheduled for 9 October, has declared he is convinced that the islamist terrorists operating in parts of the northern province of Cabo Delgado will be defeated.
Speaking on Friday at a rally chaired by the current president, Filipe Nyusi, in the Cabo Delgado provincial capital, Pemba, where he was presented as the Frelimo candidate Chapo urged all Mozambicans to continue the fight against terrorism.
"We ended the 16 year war, we ended the destabilization that always occurred whenever there were elections in Mozambique, and I am absolutely certain that one day we will defeat the terrorists', Chapo said. (The "16 year war' refers to the war waged against Mozambique by the South African apartheid regime, via the Renamo rebels, between 1976 and the peace agreement of 1992).
Chapo declared that, with the exception of some districts in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique is now at peace "and we need to continue the struggle to ensure the defeat of terrorism'.
He recognized that Cab Delgado is a province with potential for rapid development, not only because of the vast deposits of natural gas offshore (estimated at over 100 trillion cubic feet), but also because of its tourism potential.
"It is very important that we bank on tourism in Cabo Delgado', said Chapo. "Cabo Delgado has some of the most beautiful islands in the world, such as the Quirimbas Archipelago'.
