Zitamar Daily: Returning to the scene of the crime

President Nyusi visits the UAE; Ruby mining in Mozambique is at risk, says owner of attacked mine

Good afternoon. President Nyusi is in Abu Dhabi today — one of the settings for the ‘hidden debts’ scandal that has so overshadowed much of his presidency — but hoping not to focus on that story. A rumoured visit to Mozambique by TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne appears not to have materialised, and the newsflow from Cabo Delgado is not positive, with more attacks on civilians following the attack on a ruby mine last week. But Frelimo’s Central Committee, meeting in Inhambane over the weekend, was cheered by the thought that Tanzania’s military exercises close to the border with Mozambique are a sign of more muscular involvement in the counterinsurgency fight to come.

But if Nyusi was hoping to avoid any mention of the Privinvest procurement scandal, financed by those ‘hidden debts’, he ought to have been more careful about his itinerary in Inhambane. Governance think tank CDD has pointed out that the public prosecutor’s new building in Inhambane, which Nyusi formally inaugurated, has been bought from the son-in-law of Manuel Chang, the former finance minister who signed the sovereign guarantees for the $2bn in borrowing — all of which was transferred straight to Abu Dhabi. Chang remains in custody in South Africa, awaiting trial either in Mozambique or in the United States.

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Agenda:

• Today: President Filipe Nyusi in Abu Dhabi on the first day of a three-day visit to the UAE

  • Nyusi is expected to visit Dubai tomorrow as part of the trip.

  • Abu Dhabi is the home of the Privinvest group company, Abu Dhabi Mar, which received the $2bn Mozambique borrowed to pay for offshore security tech from Lebanon’s Privinvest. Numerous backhanders were allegedly paid to Mozambicans via the UAE as part of the deal — and Privinvest’s contribution to Nyusi’s election campaign fund was made through a UAE-domiciled scrap metal trader, as Zitamar revealed last year

• 19-29 October: Tanzania People's Defence Force holds field exercises in the southeastern regions of Lindi and Mtwara, involving warplanes, helicopters, medium and short range missiles, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons, according to a press release issued yesterday

  • This flex by the Tanzanian military is one of a number of factors raising hopes in Mozambique that the neighbour to the north is going to up its participation in counter-insurgency efforts in Cabo Delgado

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The latest from Zitamar News:

Montepuez Ruby Mining restarts, while Gemrock reels from insurgent attack
Indian-owned Gemrock puts expansion plans ‘on back burner’ and warns ‘entire Mozambican ruby mining industry is at risk’

Ncondezi Energy looks to dispose of Mozambique coal project
Ncondezi Energy, pivoting to renewables, hopes to find a buyer while geopolitical pressures bolster demand for coal

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From the Zitamar Live Blog:

Mozambique ‘grey listed’ for failing to tackle financial crime
Mozambique has been put on the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force, for failure to implement certain measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing
The move is designed to focus minds in Mozambique on meeting AML and CFT commitments, but no sanctions are being placed on the country’s financial system for the time being

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💥 Conflict updates:

• 23 October 22: Messanja, Chiúre district, Cabo Delgado

  Two men were beheaded by insurgents in the fields outside Messanja in the administrative post of Katapua, Chiúre district. Residents have fled to Katapua headquarters. 

• 23 October 22: Macomia, Macomia district, Cabo Delgado

  Unknown assailants killed at least two people and destroyed several vehicles in an attack in the Napulubo neighbourhood of Macomia district headquarters on Sunday evening. Some sources report that Islamic State was responsible, while others allege it was rogue members of the government security forces. 

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Also in the news:

• Nyusi calls for unity in Frelimo’s renewed Central Committee (Notícias, DW)

• Revenue from gas projects still small in the short term, warns Nyusi (Mediafax)

• Defence spending to rise while health budget shrinks next year (A Verdade)

• 99 Malawian migrants found in a tanker (VoA)

• Public prosecutor’s new building bought from Manuel Chang’s family (CDD)

• Eco charcoal for export to be produced in Sofala (Rádio Moçambique)

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