Central power in Mozambique admits police weaknesses

The recent attacks in the province of Nampula have revealed our weaknesses,” said Victor Canhemba, permanent secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, at the opening of a coordination meeting of the Mozambican police in Palma, the town of the gas projects.

At issue are “the efficiency of the tactical operative planning system” and the “police intelligence service”, that is, information gathering on the ground.

The central government representative also said it is necessary to review “the operational training and capacity building strategy, as well as logistics effectiveness.

Officials from the Mozambican Ministry of Interior are in Palma for a three-day meeting at the 23rd Police Coordination Council of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM).

This is the central meeting of the security hierarchies in the area after the March 2021 attack, which led to the suspension of the gas projects’ works.

Cabo Delgado province has been terrorized since 2017 by armed violence, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since a year ago with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects such as Palma and Mocímboa da Praia. Still, new waves of violence have emerged south of the region and in neighboring Nampula province.

In five years, the conflict has left one million people displaced, according to the UNHCR, and about 4,000 dead, according to the conflict registration project ACLED.

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