95.5% of its annual budget

The defence sector spent 95.5% of its annual budget between January and June this year, according to the Budget Execution Report published last week by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

The sector spent 10.183 million meticais in the first half of this year, out of the 10.668 million allocated, which could leave it without sufficient funds to maintain operations.

The spending represents a growth of 34.4% compared to the same period of 2019, in which, from January to June, the sector consumed 5.177 million of the 8.471 million meticais planned (61.1%). In fact, the document states that the first “pillar” of the Government’s Five Year Plan (PQG) – strengthening democracy, reconciliation and the preservation of unity and national cohesion – has already consumed 84.5% of its annual budget, or 22,517.8 million meticais of the 26,634.9 million allocated. In the first six months of 2019, this pillar consumed 31,858.6 million of annual 76,294.8 million meticais, which corresponded to 41.8%.

Terrorist attacks in the province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017 and the military attacks in the central area of the country since August 2019 may be the reason for the expenditure of almost all the sector’s annual budget. The Defence and Security Forces (FDS) have been put to the test this year by recurring invasions of the district headquarter towns of Mocímboa da Praia (at least three times), Macomia and Quissanga, in which terrorists destroyed public and private property and assets, in addition to seizing diverse war material.