The Mozambican state will increase spending on defense and security by 42% in 2024, compared to this year's budget, exceeding 67.9 billion meticais, according to figures published this Monday by the newspaper Económico.

Citing the documents supporting the proposal for the Economic and Social Plan and State Budget (PESOE) for 2024, under discussion in parliament, the same publication reveals that the Defense component is budgeted at more than 20.1 billion meticais, equivalent to 3.7% of the estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to 13.3 billion meticais this year.

The Security and Public Order component rises from 34.5 billion meticais in 2023 to 47.8 billion meticais, 8.8% of GDP, in next year's budget proposal.

"The government will continue to mobilize additional funding, in material and financial means, to cement the position of the Defence and Security Forces in the Northern Operational Theatre and guarantee the resumption of economic activity and the free movement of people and goods," justifies the government in the document.

Even so, this increase in defense and security next year will not exceed the total spent in 2022, of almost 77.2 billion meticais, equivalent to 18% of GDP.

On the other hand, the budget proposal for 2024 cuts 16% in the health area, which will now have an allocation of 30.1 billion meticais, equivalent to 5.5% of GDP.

In September, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, acknowledged that terrorism, which has been affecting the province of Cabo Delgado for six years, is a "serious new threat to peace".

"The brutality with which the terrorists operate has made it clear that this is not a religious conflict, but a phenomenon driven by factors such as money laundering, drug trafficking, the squandering of mineral resources, among other types of crime," said the President.

The district of Mocímboa da Praia was the first target of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, on October 5, 2017. The town of Mocímboa da Praia was even used as rebel headquarters for just over a year, until it was retaken in August 2021 by joint action by Mozambican and Rwandan government forces.

In Cabo Delgado province, the Mozambique Armed Defense Forces have been fighting terrorism since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the SADC mission.