Lebanese entanglements

When will Mozambique tell Lebanon what it knows about the 2020 Beirut blast?

Good afternoon. Mozambique is apparently holding up Lebanon’s investigation into the ammonium nitrate stored at the port of Beirut which devastated the city when it exploded in 2020. The shipment, which was halted in Beirut in 2013, was — on paper at least — destined for a Mozambican explosives company, part-owned by the Ministry of Defence, which at the time was led by minister of defence Filipe Nyusi.

It was not, of course, the only Mozambique-Lebanon entanglement to be initiated in 2013. The same year, Mozambique took on $2 billion of debt to pay Lebanese ship-building group Privinvest for offshore security boats and technology, in a series of deals which have proven highly controversial and led to legal action across the world.

According to French news outlet Le Point, Mozambique is now refusing to help Lebanon with its investigations into the ammonium nitrate unless Lebanon agrees to extradite one of its citizens who is wanted in Mozambique. Le Point does not reveal the identity of the person, but says they are thought to be a Privinvest executive involved in the ‘hidden debts’ deals.

Le Point’s article — summarised at length below — is heavy on speculation, including that the Mozambican company, FEM, was complicit in trying to traffick explosives to Islamic State in Syria. But what seems certain, from the report, is that Mozambique is not cooperating on an important investigation in Lebanon, while making unreasonable demands in return.

At the same time, in London, Mozambique is doing all it can to avoid having President Filipe Nyusi’s name involved in the ‘hidden debts’ cases being heard in court there; jeopardising Mozambique’s chances of seeing justice done, apparently in order to protect one powerful individual.

In that context, and given Nyusi’s potential involvement with explosives company FEM, it is hard to begrudge Le Point the conclusion that it arrives at: “Filipe Nyusi … probably wishes that all the judges in Beirut would forget his name. In exchange, he would give them that of the real owner of the ammonium nitrate. Thus, the families of the 215 dead and the 7,000 injured on August 4, 2020 would come closer to the truth. For ethics and transparency, it's a different story.”

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Agenda:

• Today: President Nyusi presides over the Ministry of Defence’s annual ‘coordinating council’

• Today: Finance minister Max Tonela and transport and communications minister Mateus Magala kick off a three-day visit to Japan

  • The trip will include meetings with Japan’s ministers of finance, foreign affairs, economy, transport and tourism; with executives of state finance institutions JICA and JBIC; Japanese oil and gas companies, and visits to Japan’s meteorological institute, an airport, and a public transport company

• Today: Meeting of the Higher Council of Social Communication (government media regulation council) 

• Wednesday: President Nyusi attends inauguration ceremony of the Coral South FLNG project, in Pemba, Cabo Delgado

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The latest from Zitamar News:

IS Mozambique demands Christians and Jews convert or pay tax to Islamic State
In an apparent attempt to adopt the appearance of a 'caliphate', Islamic State Mozambique left a threatening handwritten message in Cabo Delgado province demanding Christians and Jews convert or pay tax

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💥 Conflict updates:

17 November 2022: Nguida, Macomia district, Cabo Delgado
Security forces and insurgents clashed in Nguida in Macomia district on Thursday. Islamic State claimed to have killed five but this has not yet been confirmed, although some soldiers have been reported missing

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Also in the news:

• Eskom seeks $49m in unpaid debt from EDM 

• Pemba polluted by dust from cement factory (O País)

• Mozambique refuses to help Beirut explosion enquiries unless Lebanon extradites a ‘hidden debts’ suspect (Le Point)

Today’s front pages in Maputo. Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News