Do Not Ignore Mozambique’s Crisis: Malawian Catholic Bishop to President of Regional Body

Cabo Delgado, the Northernmost Province of Mozambique, has been experiencing instability since 2017 when armed insurgents linked to ISIS attacked a police station in Mocimboa da Praia District. 

At least 700,000 people have been reportedly displaced as a result of the violence whose intensity has been increasing, the World Food Program (WFP) reported. 

In August, five SADC nations sent troops to the troubled Cabo Delgado Province. 

Last week, the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Pemba which covers Cabo Delgado Province, Bishop António Juliasse, acknowledged “an advance by the military” in the region but noted that the security situation is not yet guaranteed.  

“There is an advance by the military of this joint force of the Rwandans and also accompanied by the Mozambican defense and security force; there is an advance in terms of penetrating the areas that were the only domain of the insurgents, but there is still no guarantee of security, that really those areas are safe,” the Mozambican Catholic Bishop said. 

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“The issue of security is still precarious,” Bishop Juliasse said, adding that the conditions in Cabo Delgado are not yet conducive for Missionaries to return to continue their evangelization ministry. 

In a separate report issued September 21, Bishop Juliasse said the people of God in Cabo Delgado are in urgent need of food and health care. 

In his message during September 25 graduation ceremony, President Chakwera of Malawi who was the guest of honor advised the graduates to use their skills for the good of the Southern African nation. 

“What the country needs are graduates who are builders and doers, not talkers and wishful thinkers,” President Chakwera said. 

Still addressing himself to graduates, the Malawian President who was elected in June further cautioned, “You are free to waste your talent and education but if you do, you should not delude yourself into thinking that your opinion about the work of others is an accomplishment.”

“As a nation, we must stop glorifying faultfinders, naysayers, bystanders, and hand clappers,” the President of the Southern African nation said, and added, “We must reserve our praise for those who are doing and building something for Malawi.”

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.