The non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW) today called the Mozambican authorities' support for the militia that supports the military in the fight against insurgents in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, a "dangerous path".

"The authorities should be focusing on improving the human rights training and professionalism of their regular troops and holding those responsible for abuses to account," but "instead they have chosen the dangerous path of formalizing relations with an untrained and apparently uncontrollable militia," the statement read.

"And they have done so without providing any public details about how they intend to stop this group from committing further abuses," HRW adds.

In December, the Mozambican parliament approved (with the ruling party Frelimo voting for and the opposition against) a revision of the Defense and Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM) law that legitimizes the actions of the so-called "local force", mostly made up of ex-combatants.

Top of the form

Bottom of the form

"This proposal comes to legitimize the actions of the local force, which has been bravely fighting the terrorists 'mano a mano'," said Cristóvão Chume, Mozambique's Minister of Defense, at the time.

HRW considers that this militia "has operated without supervision, accountability or a legal mandate, and its activities have often been associated with unlawful killings and other human rights violations".

According to the NGO, the situation aggravates a context in which "the Mozambican government has been unable or unwilling to hold accountable members of its own security forces, involved in extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of detainees".

HRW calls on the Mozambican authorities to "ensure that all government-linked forces operate within legal standards and do not violate international humanitarian law".

"This starts with publicly clarifying its mandate and holding those responsible for abuses accountable," he concludes.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near the gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged in the south of the region and in neighboring Nampula province.

The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project. (Lusa)