The Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), a Mozambican non-governmental organization (NGO), argued on Tuesday that there should be dialogue with the communities where extractive industries are installed, in order to prevent conflicts.

Speaking in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, during the discussion meeting on Human Rights in Mozambique, the focal point for business and human rights pillars at the CDD, Hélio Sitoe, quoted by the Visão portal, emphasized the need for "dialogue, not only with the government, but also with the communities".

"If the community feels respected by the companies and perceives that they respect human rights, then there will consequently be less risk in mining, compared to what currently happens, especially in the north of the country," he added, giving an example of the problems affecting the relationship between companies in the extractive industry and local communities on the African continent, which are related to unfair compensation for the granting of exploration licenses and the lack of consultation with communities before installation.

"It's important to keep the promises they're going to make (...) that the compensation is fair so that the community feels in favor of the company's operation in the region itself," said the source.

The province of Cabo Delgado, he pointed out, can be seen as a mirror of the extractive industry in the country, not least in view of the terrorist attacks that have emerged in the north following the announced investments to exploit natural gas, but also the usual cases of the authorities shooting illegal prospectors who enter areas where various minerals are being exploited in the region, sometimes resulting in deaths.

"It's very easy in these contexts for there to be this revolt on the part of this community that sees its resources being extracted, but doesn't feel like it's benefiting from the same investments," acknowledged Hélio Sitoe.