Signs of peace in Cabo Delgado?

If the government and its allies really do have the upper hand, there is still work to be done to make the shift sustainable

Good afternoon. Pinnacle News today floats the idea that the conflict in Cabo Delgado may be coming to an end, pointing to the return of displaced people to conflict-hit areas of the province, which Zitamar also reports on today.

There has certainly been a drop-off in violent incidents of late, though some of that is probably seasonal. The rainy season puts a dampener on all kinds of activities, and it has also been the month of Ramadan. Nevertheless, as Pinnacle points out, there are signs of a real positive shift.

If so, Mozambique will have Rwanda to heartily thank for the turn around (and the posting of a Rwandan detachment to Muidumbe is also being credited for the return of people there). However, as researcher Borges Nhamirre points out in a piece yesterday for the Institute for Security Studies, there is still much to be desired in the way that the Rwandan and Mozambican forces cooperate — and the forces of SADC.

Whoever is to blame for the lack of coordination — whether Rwandan suspicion, or Mozambican incompetence — it suggests that the current situation, of the government and allied forces having the upper hand, is not sustainable. Mozambique needs to be able to keep Cabo Delgado at peace without outside help. And that will require not just a military solution, but addressing the socio-economic drivers of the conflict that, to its credit, the government is increasingly willing to recognise.

---

Agenda:

• Today: President Nyusi receives the President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, for official talks as part of Hichilema’s three-day visit to Mozambique (see pictures in Tweet of the Day)

• Today: Council of Ministers weekly meeting

• Today: Frelimo secretary general, Roque Silva, participates in Kigali, Rwanda, in the celebrations of the 35th anniversary of the creation of the Rwandan Patriotic Front

• Tomorrow: Parliament to debate Sovereign Wealth Fund law

---

The latest from Zitamar News:

Civilians return to Macomia and Muidumbe
Civilians displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado are beginning to return to their homes along the Messalo river in Macomia and Muidumbe districts, despite a lack of basic public services

---

Also in the news:

• Renamo leader threatens "national demonstration" against constitution change 

• TotalEnergies’ three conditions to restart work on Mozambique LNG 

• City of Lichinga cut off by floods 

• 73% of Mozambican roads unpaved 

• Rwanda reaffirms readiness to support Mozambique 

• Authorities seize 80kg of drugs in Cabo Delgado

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