Mozambique is facing with multiple challenges and a different version of war from the past independence struggles, which requires the involvement of the whole society as defense issues are not exclusive to the military, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said Friday in Maputo.
The President made the remarks in his speech during the celebrations of the 56th anniversary of the launching of the armed struggle for liberation, and the Day of the Armed Forces of Defense of Mozambique (FADM).
“The terrorist attacks in some districts of the province of Cabo Delgado, as well as the attacks in the central area of the country led by the self-proclaimed Military Junta of Renamo, constitute a clear affront to national independence, territorial integrity and peace, which the Mozambican people achieved with a lot of sacrifice,” said Nyusi.
Nyusi said that if in the past the FADM had the challenge of liberating the country, threats are diffuse and more unpredictable today with the advent of globalization, which requires a high level of flexibility and readiness from FADM.
Terrorism, transnational crime, piracy, cybercrime and humanitarian missions are some of the challenges for which the national forces must also be prepared to fight and win, said Nyusi.
For such a goal to be achieved, there is a need to design cooperative responses and integrated approaches, combining the military and civilian components, said the president, adding that consolidating independence is a task of all citizens, not only of the FADM.
This does not exempt the FADM from its role of defending the homeland, territorial integrity and the maintenance of peace, who deserve the society’s solidarity and recognition for the mission they perform, said the Commander-in-Chief.
Mozambique achieved national independence on June 25, 1975, after a decade of liberation war against Portuguese colonial rule.
