Mozambique 3 March 2016: A glimmer of hope on a grim anniversary
Good afternoon. Today, 3 March, is the second anniversary of the assassination of Gilles Cistac, the French-born Mozambican academic who had argued that further decentralisation of power in Mozambique, including some power sharing with Renamo, might be allowed under Mozambique’s constitution.
Since then, many more lives have been lost while the same question awaits resolution. This week, yet another group was set up to discuss the issue, and the truce has been extended, as predicted.
FREE TO READ: Mozambique leaders extend truce by two months
Meanwhile, Cistac’s killers remain at large, with no sign that they will ever be found. Last month, the Attorney General’s office closed its casebook on the murder of Judge Dinis Silica, murdered in 2014 while preparing a case against alleged organised criminals. The same fate befell prosecutor Marcelino Vilanculos last year - and those accused of his murder have since disappeared from custody.
That same Attorney General’s office has been charged with overseeing Kroll’s investigation into the ‘secret debts’. In February, Zitamar News and the Africa Research Institute held an online conference about those deals - which forms the basis of an excellent briefing note by ARI’s Nick Branson, telling the whole sorry tale so far.
The ARI Briefing Note can be downloaded here
The international community of donor countries and the IMF have demanded improvements from Mozambique in governance and transparency, and want those guilty to be held responsible.
Flávio Menete, Head of Mozambique’s Bar Association, alaso spoke out this week to say that those responsible for the deals should be ‘exemplarily held responsible’ for them.
SEE: Mozambique’s top lawyer wants ‘exemplary’ prosecution over ‘hidden debts’
For now, those closely involved in the deals look perfectly comfortable For example, Maria Isaltina Lucas, who took a seat as non-executive director of EMATUM while Director of Treasury at the Finance Ministry that signed the illegitimate guarantees, is still Deputy Finance Minister.
On Monday, Frelimo called journalists to witness a party meeting in Maputo where Manuel Chang, the Finance Minister who signed the guarantees, sang songs of party victory and shook hands with President Filipe Nyusi on stage - alongside Eneas Comiche, the man who led the Parliamentary Commission which ruled emphatically that Chang’s $2bn deals had broken the law.
But despite the loan guarantees’ illegitimacy, the government wants to pay back the loans, Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário told a press briefing on Wednesday.
SEE: Mozambique Prime Minister: ‘We want to pay the debts’
What could yet get the government off the hook are multi-billion dollar gas deals, which are always just around the corner.
The Prime Minister said he was hopeful of FID on Eni’s FLNG project by June, and that the Round 5 exploratory contracts would be signed by then too. On the other hand, a crucial piece of infrastructure to support the industry has ground to a halt in Pemba, and the one oil and gas company operating in the country - Sasol - has had 34 of its employees suspended.
SEE: Eni FLNG FID expected within three months, says Mozambique PM
SEE: Mozambique should sign new oil exploration deals by end of June – PM
SEE: Contractor downs tools on key Mozambique gas infrastructure project
SEE: Sasol expat workers suspended by Mozambique Ministry of Labour
Have a great weekend.
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