Southern Africa Bishops Plan Solidarity Visit to Mozambique's Pemba Diocese amid Crisis

The delegation to visit Bishop Lisboa will include Bishop José Luis, Bishop Victor Phalana of South Africa’s Klerksdorp Diocese, the SACBC Assistant Secretary General, Sr. Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi, and the Director of the Dennis Hurley Peace Institute, Johan Viljoen.

“As we entrust this visit to your prayers, I call everyone in our Diocese to keep the people of Cabo Delgado in our prayers,” implores Bishop José Luis in the November 24 statement.

The member of Consolata Missionaries adds, “Let us also pray for those who have been entrusted with the difficult service of any type of leadership that the Spirit of the Lord gives them wisdom so that the life and dignity of every person is respected.”

The Province of Cabo Delgado has been the center of attacks by armed insurgents who pay allegiance to ISIS since October 2017. 

The crisis started when an Islamist armed group known locally as Al-Sunna wa Jama’a (ASWJ) attacked a police station in Mocimboa da Praia district within Cabo Delgado Province. 

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600,000 people have been negatively affected by the crisis with more than 200,000 displaced across the region, UN Reliefweb has reported.  

In September, members of SACBC expressed their solidarity with the people of God in Cabo Delgado indicating their awareness of the situation in Mozambique’s Northernmost Province. 

“We have been following with increasing concern the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Diocese of Pemba, Cabo Delgado Province – the widespread violence, destruction of property, forced dislocation of over 200,000 people and loss of life,” SACBC members said. 

They added, “The violence, suffering and death caused by ongoing armed conflict is an affront to all of us. In moments of despair we can cry out: ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ (Rev. 6:10).”

On October 27, the Bishop of Pemba appealed for aid saying that the people of God in the region are experiencing a “deep humanitarian crisis.”

“We need support, we need help. We are truly in a deep humanitarian crisis and we need solidarity,” said Bishop Lisboa.

The Prelate who was speaking after his pastoral visit to Paquitequete beach where those fleeing the violence in the region had been arriving in small boats added, “There are a lot of people to be cared for and they need everything.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.