The Mozambican parliament approved this Thursday the revision of the Mozambique Defense and Armed Forces (FADM) law that legitimizes the action of the so-called “local force”, ex-combatants who have supported the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado.
“This proposal legitimizes the actions of the local force that ‘hand in hand’ has been bravely fighting terrorists”declared Cristóvão Chume, Minister of Defense of Mozambique, in the Assembly of the Republic.
The revision of the law was approved with the favorable vote of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), the parliamentary majority, while the opposition, the National Resistance of Mozambique (Renamo) and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) voted in against.
For the Minister of Defense, the approval of the law will allow improvements in the “structuring, organization and logistical assistance” to the local force, in addition to the fact that the Government will be able to “improve its control”, guaranteeing the “respect and strict observance” of human rights by its members.
Cristóvão Chume clarified that the Government is aware that the local force does not have a “permanent presence” and, therefore, it will continue to invest in the Defense and Security Forces and in the FADM to guarantee conditions of “replenishment” of the support provided by friendly forces: SADC and Rwandan troops.
According to the official, the local force was created to “reinforce the role of the Defense and Security Forces in combating and containing terrorist incursions, protecting community settlements and public and private infrastructure.”
The designation local force began to be used in Mozambique in reference to groups of former national liberation fighters and their descendants who organized to fight against the armed groups that terrorize the north of the country.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The insurgency has provoked a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts next to gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged in the south of the region and in the neighboring province of Nampula.
The conflict has already displaced a million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and around 4,000 deaths, according to ACLED’s conflict registry project.
Source: Observadora
