Mozambique: Government Appeals for Increased Humanitarian Aid
Maputo — The Mozambican government on Wednesday reiterated its appeal to the international community to mobilise more humanitarian assistance for the victims of terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
At a meeting in Maputo with the diplomatic corps and with representatives of international organisations, Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo asked for help in obtaining more support in order to confront the humanitarian emergency in Cabo Delgado.
She stressed that the number of people displaced from their homes by terrorist attacks has continued to rise, and is now estimated at around 800,000. This implies an increase in the aid required to provide the displaced with food and other basic requirements.
The government, Macamo said, is making efforts to mitigate the effects of terrorist attacks, starting with humanitarian assistance to those who have lost everything they possessed, and need emergency assistance.
The forced migration of large numbers of people had led to problems of resettlement, and a great increase in health and medical requirements, particularly for women, children and the elderly.
The displaced, Macamo added, had been forced to abandon their fields, their harvests and their livestock, as they fled to seek shelter in safer areas. Faced with this situation, the government had adopted a "holistc approach" to the security situation in Cabo Delgado.
"We are speaking of the need to welcome and provide humanitarian aid to the displaced, and also the need to step up military efforts to combat and eliminate the terrorists", she said.
Development projects were also required in northern Mozambique, she added, in order to create more jobs, provide opportunities for self-employment, and alleviate poverty.
Despite the efforts undertaken by the government, and by the defence and security forces, Macamo stressed the need for support from the country's friends and cooperation partners "to lessen the suffering of the population, and to staunch this evil which has international ramifications".
"Hence we are giving primacy to bilateral and multilateral military cooperation, with a stress on support in logistics, and in the health and training of our defence forces", declared Macamo.
She also took advantage of the meeting to ask the diplomats to support Mozambique's bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. This election will take place next year,
"I want to assure you that we shall honour your invaluable support, with our vision for seeking peace, stability and security in the world, and with our efforts to protect human rights, eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, and all forms of discrimination", she said.
This article originally appeared on Mozambique News Agency
Photo: AFP