No.304, 9th September 2005
On 1 September Prime Minister Luisa
Diogo held talks with her Chinese counterpart in Beijing, resulting in an agreement
which will see Mozambique importing buses, medicines and other hospital equipment
directly from China.
Speaking during her five day visit Prime Minister Diogo said that there is a
"very clear advantage" in direct imports. "We have been importing
and using a wide range of medicines through indirect imports through Europe,
America and other markets, and we have been paying twice or three times more
than we do in direct imports. It makes no sense at all that we continue importing
through intermediaries when we can do it directly at a lower cost", said
the Prime Minister.
According to Deputy Health Minister Aida Libombo, who accompanied Diogo to China,
during her meetings she asked that China sends specialist doctors to work in
Sofala province, in addition to those who are now working in the Maputo Central
Hospital. This is to be followed up by Health Minister Ivo Garrido, who is to
visit China in the next few months.
Regarding the import of buses, Mozambican Ambassador to China Antonio Inacio
Junior said that Mozambique is to purchase 70 units in the first stage, which
would operate in Maputo city. Junior said that during the talks he came to understand
that with the same quality, Mozambique can purchase buses at about half the
price compared with those purchased in Europe or other parts of the world.
By Joe Hanlon
The shocking images of flood-ravaged New Orleans may recall for many Mozambicans
their own experiences in February 2000, when every major river south of Beira
burst its banks, and vast areas of southern Mozambique were under water. But
although Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, while
the United States is the richest, the Mozambican flood crisis was handled efficiently,
quite unlike the chaos that overtook New Orleans. In the following article,
London based writer Joseph Hanlon, co-author of a book on the floods of 2000,
suggests that in the area of disaster response the United States has much to
learn from Mozambique.
Mozambique should offer aid to the United States on how to deal with floods.
In 2000, southern Mozambique had its worst flood in 150 years - similar to the
seriousness of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. In Mozambique five years
ago, 550,000 people were displaced, of whom 45,000 were rescued by boats and
helicopters; 700 people died. But organisation in "underdeveloped"
Mozambique was much better than in New Orleans, with less loss of life. Three
things made the difference: training and planning, community solidarity, and
a willingness to ask for help quickly.
Mozambique is subject to severe cyclones, just as the southern US normally faces
severe hurricanes. In 1999, after much less severe floods, Mozambique launched
a major training exercise involving simulations of rescue and relief operations.
Training included volunteer organisations such as the Mozambique Flying Club,
an association of private pilots. Relief goods were stockpiled in areas at risk,
including hundreds of tons of food and medicines. The Red Cross gave extra training
to its volunteers and created stocks of tents and plastic sheeting. District,
provincial and national flood committees were created.
Flood warnings heeded
Although floods were predicted, no one expected the scale of the flooding that
occurred, which resulted from three successive major cyclones. The water just
kept rising. As with Katrina, Mozambique had some warning from the weather forecasters,
and two days before the floods the government activated its flood committee,
chaired by then Foreign Minister Leonardo Simao. He and his committee were already
prepared, and could move quickly.
More areas were evacuated. But the key to the evacuation in Mozambique, which
made it so different from New Orleans, were that most people were evacuated
in groups by local leaders. Tent cities were created on high ground, but with
people from particular neighbourhoods all living together. Chokwe, in Gaza province,
was the largest city to be totally evacuated, and the city administration moved
as a group and continued to administer the new tent city. Health workers, the
Red Cross and local administrations moved to care for those fleeing high water.
The contrast with New Orleans is obvious. Officials in the American city seem
to have ignored community leaders and made no effort to include them in evacuation
planning, at least in the poorest areas.
Not everyone fled the flood-stricken areas of southern Mozambique quickly enough;
45,000 people were saved by boats. The Mozambican military rescued 18,000 people
with small boats; the Red Cross, the fire service, and private boat owners and
fishing people rescued another 12,000.
Trained local volunteers moved quickly. For example the Mozambique Flying Club
established a stretch of road on the edge of the flood as a landing strip, and
began flying supplies to isolated areas. This improvised airstrip was used for
3,000 flights. This is in stark contrast to the TV pictures of highways in New
Orleans which could easily have been used by small planes but which were not.
Thousands of Mozambicans volunteered to help, and they were put to work - through
the Red Cross, setting up emergency feeding, or just helping to unload lorries.
Early call for help saved lives
But the third key factor was Mozambique's use of outside help. Even before the
floods, Mozambique had made plans with the South African air force and with
United Nations agencies such as UNICEF. Daily contact was maintained with the
South Africans, which set up a special budget to pay for possible aid, so the
helicopters were flying in within one day of the worst flooding; in all, they
rescued 14,000 people. Even while the flood waters were still rising, prior
agreements with United Nations agencies were activated, so there was immediate
help with food, and most importantly, water purification and sanitation. As
the international press arrived to broadcast the disaster, Mozambique made clear
that outside help was welcome. Agencies like Oxfam and Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF - Doctors without Borders) who have experience of working in natural disasters,
moved quickly and were helping displaced people within days.
But the outsiders quickly found when they arrived that there was an organisation
on the ground. When Oxfam arrived with its water purification systems, local
officials told Oxfam where they were most needed. Local officials planned food
distribution. Volunteer health workers joined in Of course there were mistakes
and confusion. And some bad things happened. There was looting - although not
very much. And there was a serious problem of donations of useless and out of
date medicines. But the priority was to get people to safety and provide them
with shelter, food, clean water and latrines.
No one predicted the worse flood in 150 years. But in Mozambique, planning,
local organisation and community solidarity, and a willingness to ask for help,
saved thousands of lives. Should Mozambique offer aid to the United States in
flood management?
Joseph Hanlon is the co-author, with Frances Christie, of "Mozambique
and the Great Flood of 2000", published by James Currey (Oxford) in 2001
Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado
province is returning to normal after violent clashes between supporters of
Renamo and the police left eight people dead and 47 injured. Supporters of the
main opposition party Renamo were protesting against the results of the 31 May
municipal elections which gave victory to the candidate from the ruling Frelimo
party.
According to Interior Minister Jose Pacheco, who visited the scene on 7 and
8 September, the dead and injured were "victims of a premeditated action".
The Minister added that the police had only used tear gas, and had not resorted
to lethal force. The police have arrested five people, all members of Renamo,
in connection with the disturbances.
Mocimboa da Praia mayor Amadeu Pedro was cited by Radio Mozambique on 6 September
as saying that the disturbances were headed by provincial Renamo political delegate
in Cabo Delgado, Armindo Milaco, who was allegedly seen carrying two guns around
town, inciting people to violence.
Renamo seems to harbour a particular hatred for Pedro, because he was once the
Renamo delegate in Mocimboa da Praia, and then defected to Frelimo. Renamo also
protests that he was born not in Mocimboa da Praia, but in the neighbouring
district of Mueda.
Renamo national spokesperson Fernando Mazanga, gave a press conference a different
account of the incident, and claimed that disturbances began when Frelimo members
in the town "ambushed" Renamo supporters. Mazanga alleged that on
6 September Frelimo supporters broke into the Renamo offices and, in the presence
of the police, murdered two people (a young woman and an old man).
The violence in Mocimboa da Praia began on 5 September, the day after Renamo
held a mock swearing-in ceremony for their losing candidate Saide Assane, chaired
by Augusto Mateus, of the Renamo central leadership, and was followed by the
appointment of a "municipal government".
In response to this theatre, Frelimo said that it is "juridically null
and void", and with no effect at all.
Speaking to reporters on 7 September, the Frelimo Central Committee Secretary
for Mobilisation and Propaganda, Edson Macuacua, said that "it is regrettable
that, at a time when the Mozambican people are united in the struggle against
poverty, Renamo speaks of war with so much nostalgia. This shows that Renamo
is isolated from the national agenda".
Former President Joaquim Chissano
confirmed in Gaberone on 16 August that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has
rejected him as mediator to help solve the political crisis in his country,
on the grounds that he does not intend to hold any negotiations with the main
opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Changes (MDC).
Addressing a press conference during the Special Summit of Heads of State and
Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mark the
organisation's 25th anniversary, Chissano said that President Mugabe told him
over the phone that he could not find any reason for a mediator, a task with
which Chissano had been charged by the African Union's chairperson, Olusegun
Obasanjo.
Asked whether Chissano thinks that Zimbabwe needs SADC or the AU to help out
in its crisis, he replied that regardless of his opinion, it is up to the Zimbabwean
people to take such a decision. He recalled that when Mozambique went through
the 16 year war of destabilisation it took himself and the leadership of the
then rebel movement Renamo to decide for a dialogue.
"Before we had accepted the need for dialogue, nobody could force us into
talks to end the war. In the case of Zimbabwe, there is no war. I think that
Mugabe's rejection is based on the understanding that their problems do not
yet need any foreign help", said Chissano.
"They even had a civil war, between Mugabe's followers and those of Joshua
Nkomo. They found an agreement between themselves, culminating in the appointment
of Nkomo as deputy President. Until then all seemed at lost", he explained.
Chissano conceded that there are problems in Zimbabwe, but reiterated that it
is up to the Zimbabweans to solve them or seek foreign help. He explained that
the question is not whether or not there are problems in that country, but whether
the leaders, including Mugabe, have the same understanding of them as does,
for instance, Olusegun Obasanjo, who thinks that it is time to seek for foreign
help.
"If my mediation had been accepted by all interested parties, my first
action would be to discuss with each of them which problems they would like
me to help them solve. This is because there are many problems in Zimbabwe,
including land reform, accusations of electoral fraud, and demolition of alleged
illegal houses", he said.
He added that "all of this is being interpreted differently by different
people, and I would have to meet with each party to learn which of these problems
they would want me to help solve first. But Mugabe has already told me that
he does not think the country needs my mediation now, because he is not prepared
to talk to the opposition, and thus my mission ended before it had started ".
The European Union has launched
an international tender for the building of a bridge over the Zambezi River,
linking the south, centre and north of the country through Caia and Chimuara,
in Sofala and Zambezia provinces.
The bridge will be 16 metres wide and 2,376 metres long, with four lanes, two
for vehicles and the other two for bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians.
The works, due to last 36 months, have a guaranteed budget of $80 million granted
by the EU, specifically from Sweden and Italy, along with funds from Japan and
the Mozambican government.
Mozambique's cashew nut harvest
from the 2004/05 season was the best in quarter of a century, according to Raimundo
Matule, deputy director of the government's National Cashew Institute (INCAJU).
Speaking to reporters on 27 July, Matule put total cashew production at 102,000
tonnes, of which 60,000 tonnes was exported raw to India, and 14,310 tonnes
was purchased by small Mozambican processing plants. The rest was being consumed
locally, or held as stocks.
He attributed the good harvest to a favourable climate, the planting of new
cashew trees in recent years, and to the spraying of older trees against fungal
diseases.
The 14,310 tonnes of nuts bought by the factories will produce about 2,800 to
3,000 tonnes of cashew kernels, sold in export markets in the United States,
Europe and the Middle East - earning about $11 million.
Matule was optimistic about the future for cashew. with world demand for cashew
kernels growing at around ten per cent a year, and currently prices are stable.
New markets are opening up - this year Mozambican cashews were sold to Lebanon
for the first time. INCAJU is also studying the potentially enormous Chinese
market.
There are now 22 cashew processing plants in the country, most of them in the
Nampula province. They have the capacity to deal with 23,790 tonnes of nuts
a year (which would produce about 4,760 tonnes of cashew kernels).
These are all small factories, using largely manual methods to shell the nuts.
None of the large mechanised factories show any sign of re-opening. The 15 large
factories were forced to close down when the World Bank imposed its infamous
1995 diktat, ordering Mozambique to strip the cashew industry of protection.
This completely altered the conditions under which Mozambican businesses had
purchased the factories from the state a year earlier.
Quite explicitly the World Bank was in favour of exporting raw nuts to India,
thus overturning the long established policy that the priority was to supply
the local processing plants first, and export only whatever raw nuts were left
over.
A report from the National Statistics
Institute (INE) has revealed that 87,000 children have been orphaned in Mozambique
as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
According to INE delegate to Manica, Amelia Nakhare, about 70,000 people of
different ages, but mostly adults, died of AIDS by the year 2002, leaving a
large number of orphaned children. She explained that most orphans are found
in the central region of the country, where her institution counted 58,000 orphans,
compared with 21,000 in the southern region, and 8,000 in the north.
The central region also has the largest number of deaths from AIDS, with 44,000,
followed by the south, with 17,900 and 6,600 in the northern region.
Nakhare said that those figures can be explained by the respective HIV/AIDS
prevalence rates - 16.7 per cent in the central region, 14.8 per cent in the
south, and 8.4 in the north.
In terms of provinces, she said that Sofala, is the most affected, followed
by Manica, Tete, and Zambezia, all in the central region.
In the south, Maputo is leading, with17.3 per cent, followed by Gaza, 15.4 per
cent, and Inhambane, with 8.5 per cent, while in the northern region, the highest
infection rates are found in Niassa, 11.1, Cabo Delgado, comes second, 8.1,
and then Nampula, with 7.5 per cent.
Deputy Interior Minister Jose Mandra
has revealed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has aggravated staff shortage within
the police, killing about 1,000 officers every year.
Speaking on 15 August in Maputo during the opening session of a meeting of the
Management Council of the Immigration National Directorate, Mandra warned that
"we are going through difficult times, with the number of infections and
deaths by HIV/AIDS increasing by the day. We lose a over 1,000 officers every
year".
The Deputy Minister urged the participants of the summit to do all in their
power to relieve the suffering of their infected colleagues and to check the
trend of infections and deaths.
Mandra also expressed concern over gender inequality within his ministry, saying
that in this issue the Interior Ministry is still far from reaching the government's
recommendations. He said that his ministry has established 2009 as the target
to have at least 25 per cent of the ministry's staff made up of women, 15 per
cent of whom should be in decision-making positions. However this must be met
whilst following "fair and transparent criteria, based on qualifications
and competence".
The Tourism Ministry (MICTUR) is
set to establish a new national park in Sofala province before the end of next
year. The park, which will also cover the districts of Pebane, in Zambezia province,
Moma and Angoche in Nampula province, will be named "Ilhas Primarias e
Secondarias" will cover an area of 8,226 square kilometres.
Raimundo Matusse, a wildlife expert with the Tourism Ministry, told reporters
that they have already identified the delimitations of what is to be the ninth
national park.
Matusse said that a multisectorial team, which includes experts from the Tourism,
Transport and Communications, Mineral Resources, Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment,
and State Administration Ministries, Eduardo Mondlane University and the WWF
will conduct preliminary studies on the park's socio-economic and environmental
impact.
Matusse also said that another park is to be established in Niassa Province.
Meanwhile, a border post is to be opened in October in the locality of Geryondo,
on the frontier with Zimbabwe, about 90 kilometres to the west of Gaza province,
to facilitate the circulation of tourists in the Great Limpopo Cross-Border
Initiative. The Cross-Border Limpopo Park encompasses the Limpopo Park, in Mozambique,
the National Kruger Park, in South Africa, and the Gonarhezu Park, in Zimbabwe.
This is a condensed version of the AIM daily news service - for details contact aim@tvcabo.co.mz
Mozambique News Agency
c/o 114 Stanford Avenue Brighton BN1 6FE UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 7941 890630,