Borges Nhamirre of the Institute for Security Studies asserts that Mozambique’s incoming president will immediately address the escalating violence in the northern Cabo Delgado province. This critical responsibility will almost certainly fall to Daniel Chapo, the 47-year-old lawyer who is the ruling Liberation Front (FRELIMO) party’s chosen presidential candidate for the upcoming election. FRELIMO maintains control through “election irregularities and an uneven political playing field”, enabling it to dominate state institutions.
The seven-year insurgency raging in Cabo Delgado has claimed over 5,000 lives and displaced upwards of a million people. A recent attack on Macomia district underscores that insurgents remain highly active and uncontained in the region. According to Nhamirre, this will compel the new leadership to finally “balance security and development policies” as an overdue counterterrorism step.
Striking this equilibrium between hard security measures and policies fostering economic/social development will be crucial for preventing further terrorist violence from taking root. Mozambique’s next president, likely Chapo, must deftly navigate this challenge from the outset to resolve one of the country’s most pressing crises. Failing to address the intricate security/development nexus in Cabo Delgado could allow the ruthless insurgency to metastasize unchecked.