Maputo, 24 Jun (AIM) – Mozambican government has announced that the remains of the seven Mozambican nationals killed in the current wave of xenophobic attacks committed by South African citizens against black Africans have now been repatriated.
In recent months, various South African nationals have been carrying out anti-migrant protests against Africans, including Mozambicans. The focus of these xenophobic acts, which have been recurring, has been black Africans.
Discrimination against foreign nationals has also been leading to looting, displacement, harassment, and deadly riots, in informal settlements.
The victims, who were killed in the South African region of Mossel Bay, were all from the southern Mozambican province of Gaza province. Their remains have been returned to the districts of Majaquaze, Chókwè, Chigubo and Limpopo.
According to Salim Valá, Minister of Planning and Development and government spokesperson, who was speaking on Tuesday, in Maputo, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers (cabinet), the government also repatriated 738 Mozambican citizens affected by the “wave of violence that continues to target foreign communities in the neighboring country.”
“573 are men and 165 are women. Among those repatriated, 393 are from Gaza province, 162 from Maputo province, 119 from Inhambane province, 33 from Maputo City, 30 from Manica province and one from Sofala province”, he said.
According to Valá, hundreds of citizens continue to face threats to their safety and survival, particularly in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
“A government mission sent to South Africa accompanied assistance, reception and repatriation operations, while also gathering the concerns and expectations of Mozambicans residing in that country. Several challenges persist in the process of returning and reintegrating citizens, particularly in relation to obtaining documentation, transporting personal belongings and accessing means of livelihood after returning to Mozambique”, he said.
The government – through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country’s Mozambique’s relief agency, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) – pledges to continue ensuring rapid responses to the concerns of the Mozambican community and strengthen coordination with the South African government in order to monitor developments and coordinate protection measures for affected citizens.
“Among the priorities defined by the government are locating affected citizens, ensuring their safety, transporting them to Mozambique, providing food and other essential goods, and drawing up an assistance and reintegration plan”, he said.
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