Chapo makes rioters equivalent to Jihadists

Maputo, 22 Feb (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Friday declared that, in addition to the Islamist terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, and the peasant militia known as the Naparamas in Zambezia, the armed forces (FADM) have to face a third threat – that of violent protesters and rioters, who have been disrupting the economy across the country.

Speaking in Mocuba, the second largest town in Zambezia, at a ceremony marking the opening of the 2005 operational military year, Chapo suggested, for the first time in public, that the FADM might be used against the rioters who have been blocking roads, looting stores and destroying buildings in several provinces.

He stressed that, in reacting to riots, the FADM must behave firmly, “but observing the law, and guaranteeing the safety of the population, and the functioning of public and private institutions”.

“Our response must be firm, but always within the law”, stressed Chapo.

He noted that the rioters had started their activities as protests against the results of the 9 October general elections, but today they say they are protesting against the high cost of living. Chapo regarded such claims as no more than pretexts for wrecking the Mozambican economy – just as was done during the 16 year war of destabilisation waged against Mozambique by the Rhodesian and South African racist regimes.

The government was working to bring down the cost of living, said Chapo, and he wondered what new excuses the rioters would produce “to continue to sabotage and strangle our economy”.

Cited by the independent television station STV, Chapo praised the FADM and its Rwandan allies for their performance in the fight against the islamists in Cabo Delgado, guaranteeing security to the civilian population.

“No-one can deny the efforts of the FADM who have courageously been ensuring security 24 hours a day”, declared the President.

He also praised the humanitarian work of the armed forces, citing as an example the establishment of a field hospital in Mocuba, to attend to the local population, “The people should see the Mozambican soldier as their true protector”, Chapo declared.

During the Friday ceremony, Chapo was informed that 1,265 members of the FADM have been trained in anti-terrorism techniques, inside and outside the country. Thanks to the efforts of the FADM and its allies, “today no district capital or other town is in the hands of the terrorists”.

But the armed forces now had to work to ensure that the terrorists “do not occupy a single square metre of our territory”.

As Chapo was speaking, the menace posed by rioters and saboteurs was clearly on display in the southern province of Gaza. Here serious flooding is threatening communities in the Limpopo valley, in Chibuto and Guija districts – but relief cannot reach people besieged by the rising waters because protesters have barricaded the roads. Even pregnant women were forced to get out of their vehicles and walk.

One of the saboteurs told STV that even the camera crew would not be allowed through the blockade. His excuse was that his community did not have a decent supply of drinking water. Until they received clean water, the road would remain blocked. No police were in sight to clear the road block.

As of Saturday morning, four communities in Chibuto were isolated from the rest of the country by the rising waters, and the barricades on the roads mean they are in danger of running out of food.
(AIM)
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