Maputo, 22 Jan (AIM) – Mozambique’s main opposition party, the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola), set up by former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, declared on Wednesday that it is suspending all its political activities, and will work exclusively on supporting the victims of the current catastrophic flooding.
Anamola media adviser Abdul Nariz announced this decision at a Maputo press conference.
“Our first measure”, he said, “was to open all Anamola offices, and the residences of our coordinators”, to accommodate flood victims.
“We have, for example, 49 people accommodated in the residence of the Gaza provincial coordinator, and a large number of families accommodated in Xai-Xai”, added Nariz.
Secondly, he continued, the party had closed all its political activities, “to allow direct humanitarian intervention. We believe that this is the time to abandon politics and serve the people, to rescue people in flooded areas, and support families that can n longer live in their own houses”.
Anamola criticised the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INRD) for its failure to make adequate preparations. It said that, since September, there had been strong indications of the likelihood of serious flooding in the southern and central provinces.
“It was known in advance that disaster was impending”, said Bariz, “but families were caught completely unprepared”.
Among the actions Anamola had undertaken, he said, was supporting families in Manhica district who had sought shelter in a baptist church and in a primary school, which were now accommodating 705 people.
“We gave them basic baskets of goods and drinking water, and we left messages of hope, since these people needed more than material goods”, he said.
Among the difficulties they faced, said Nariz, were the resistance of some families who refused to leave their houses, logistical problems and the alleged politicisation of humanitarian aid.
He said that one particularly ugly incident had happened in Laulane neighbourhood where “the families that Anamola had assisted were expelled in the night, in the rain, by a team which included members of the Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) and of the District Education Directorate”.
He said there had been similar incidents elsewhere, including attempts to block the movements of Venancio Mondlane when he attempted to distribute aid to flood victims.
“We are in a disaster situation and humanitarian aid should not wear political party colours”, stressed Nariz. “The Mozambican people need unity and compassion, not harassment”.
(AIM)
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