Mozambique 17 August: Nyusi to America
Good afternoon. President Filipe Nyusi is preparing to head for the United States next month for a visit that will take in the United Nations in New York, and Houston in Texas – home to two of the oil companies that to a large extent hold Mozambique’s future in their hands.
SEE: Gas on the agenda for Mozambique President’s US trip next month
The one company already producing gas in Mozambique, Sasol, is now searching for a new country manager after their top Mozambican defected to General Electric. The South African company has made an interim appointment out of South Africa until a permanent replacement is found.
SEE: Sasol appoints interim representative while seeking new Mozambique head
Nyusi’s trip to the US will also take in the nation’s political capital of Washington, DC, where he may face questions from the Obama administration not only on the hidden debt scandal but also the matter of conflict and human rights abuses. The police are denying eye-witness testimonies that they lined up and shot six civilians last weekend, but the Presidency, as ever, has made no statement.
SEE: Mozambique police accused of executing civilians in Sofala – STV
Zitamar News visited Morrumbala at the weekend and saw members of the security forces firing into the air to announce their arrival in the wake of an apparent Renamo attack on the town last week. Locals from the area are packing up their belongings and joining the thousands of people displaced by the conflict – seeking refuge elsewhere in Mozambique, or in neighbouring Malawi or Zimbabwe.
SEE: Mozambique military moves on Morrumbala following Renamo attacks
The main announcement from yesterday’s council of ministers meeting was a new law regulating atomic energy and radiation in Mozambique. Given the country has no plans for nuclear power, it’s hard to see why this has been prioritised.
SEE: Mozambique government to pass law on atomic energy
Have a great rest of the week.