The Governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, assumes, in an interview with Plataforma, that the situation in the northern Mozambique province has been getting worse.
In recent months, “vile actions by terrorists” have caused an increase in the number of displaced people. Many now flee by boat, along the coastal area, trying to reach safezones, like the city of Pemba, capital of the province of Cabo Delgado.
Valige Tuabo says that, at this point, it is impossible to give information on the number of deaths caused by a conflict that has lasted for more than three years.
Military actions are underway – especially in the north and center of Cabo Delgado – and for this reason, it is not possible to anticipate a number of fatal deaths. As for the displaced, at the end of November there were already more than 540 thousand people – “545 thousand and 816 people until November 28”, Valige specified. These numbers were indentified by the provincial government.
And there is a great lack of support for the displaced population, he guaranteed to Plataforma. The Governor of Cabo Delgado says that many of them arrive in the city of Pemba – where they dont’t have the conditions to receive them – and so they end up being transferred to areas identified by the provincial government. These areas are being built as necessary infrastructure, but in the meantime, support is needed. Tents, holes for obtaining drinking water and seeds or agricultural implements are among the needs identified by Valige Tauabo.
That is why the Governor of Cabo Delgado says that international aid is important, namely the support that can be given by the Government of Portugal, which has contacts with the President of Mozambique.
Support is welcomed because the solution to this conflict is nowhere in sight.
The Governor of Cabo Delgado believes in the statements of the religious leaders of Mozambique and therefore dismisses the possibility that this is a religious conflict. He says that terrorists are unlikely to face up to or put forward demands that would allow the start of a negotiation process with the Mozambican authorities. That is why there is no dialogue with them.
Although there is no dialogue or solution in sight for a conflict that has been going on for more than three years, Valige Tauabo believes that the population of Cabo Delgado will continue to resist due to the countless investments that are being made in that region of the country.
Therefore, the main concern of the Governor of Cabo Delgado is, at this moment, trying to guarantee tranquility and hope to those who live in that province. Having hope, tranquility and stability are the desires for the next year.
Armed attacks in the region are claimed by “jihadist” groups, but their authorship remains debated. Still, these are attacks that have already claimed at least two thousand fatalities and more than half a million displaced people.
