The strategy used by the Mozambican government to combat the insurgency in Cabo Delgado has been questioned frequently by civil society.
Adriano Nuvunga, from the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), is one of the people who is appalled by what is happening in that Mozambican province and says that the use of mercenaries is against the African Union convention.
Nuvunga also says that mercenaries on the ground are somewhat contrary to the investment made by the State to equip the Mozambican army. “We think it inconceivable that Mozambique is using mercenaries today, because for the past 10 years the Government has reserved 20% of the state budget for the army, but that money was not used to modernize and equip the army because there was no transparency,” Nuvunga told the news portal Voa Português.
Nuvunga, recently heard by PLATAFORMA, underlines that “Mozambique should not use mercenaries in the framework of the [African Union] convention, even if it has not been signed, because it goes against the current dynamics of military governance and sovereignty management”.
However, as the situation in Cabo Delgado worsens, the Mozambican government has requested support from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to combat the terrorists who spread chaos in the province. South Africa has already expressed its intention to help, but support is stubborn.
Nuvunga sees this delay with “great concern”. “At the last [SADC] meeting, they hadn’t talked about a request that is on the table, it hasn’t even been on the agenda, what’s going on here? It may seem that the Maputo Government itself is not doing adequate follow-up to the matter (…) it is probably more interested in using the mercenaries ”, he comments.
Read more about Cabo Delgado at the following links:
Massacres em Cabo Delgado por “contratos de segurança” no negócio do gás
Milícias filmadas em Cabo Delgado: por Alá ou negócios do gás…
