Nyusi denies role of religion in Cabo Delgado conflict

Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, said on Saturday that religious institutions have been playing an important role in consolidating peace and denied that inter-religious conflict has played any role in the terrorism that has been plaguing parts of the northern province od Cabo Delgado since 2017.

“A great effort is being made to push the country towards inter-religious conflicts, as in the case of Cabo Delgado”, he said. “But this is not what is happening on the ground. There is no inter-religious conflict in the northern districts of Cabo Delgado. There is terrorism”. The president, who was speaking on Saturday during the inauguration of a chapel of the Old Apostolic Church of Mozambique, in the southern city of Matola, stressed that the government will continue to make efforts to strengthen social cohesion and consolidate real and lasting peace. “There has been an attempt, by a certain group of Mozambicans, to link terrorism to an alleged inter-religious conflict, and this could jeopardize national unity”, said Nyusi.

Nyusi also condemned some heinous crimes that have shocked the country, such as the recent tragedy in Maluana, in Maputo province, where alleged thieves were buried alive. “One of the situations that shocked me the most and that requires collective reflection was what happened in Maputo province, where human beings were buried by fellow human beings while still alive. Nothing justifies taking the law into one’s own hands”, Nyusi appealed.

The President highlighted the active role of the Old Apostolic Church and all religious congregations in the country in promoting the spirit and culture of peace and reconciliation. “Religion should instil in citizens respect for human life, respect for the elderly, respect for other people’s heritage, rules that are contained in the sacred books and the laws of men”, he stressed. For his part, the leader of the Old Apostolic Church in Mozambique, Apostle Jaime César Matsombe, delivered to the President a donation consisting of 400 zinc plates, 200 blankets, and a wide range of school material for the victims of terrorism in Cabo Delgado.