Daniel Chapo points to an end to terrorism in Cabo Delgado as a priority

Responding to the questions of the Members of the Eighth Session of the Child Parliament, Chapo said that if two problems could be solved to improve children's lives, he would first choose to end terrorism in Cabo Delgado and then ensure peace and security throughout the country.

“The first thing I would like to do that you have not spoken about is to resolve terrorism in Cabo Delgado for children to stop suffering,” Chapo said, after drawing the attention of the children’s deputies to the need to develop empathy for children affected by the conflict.

The President explained that children affected by terrorism face successive displacements, difficulties in staying in school and lack of stability in communities, arguing that they should not be forgotten in national debates on childhood rights.

“ The second and last thing I have just said about this so that there are no displaced children is peace and security for all Mozambique,” the head of state added.

During the answers to the questions of MEPs, the Head of State also addressed aviation accidents, defending the continuity of prevention measures after a question on transport safety.

Regarding the consumption of alcoholic beverages, Chapo admitted the possibility of requiring identification through the identity card in the purchase of alcohol, but conditioned the measure to the conclusion of the free BI award campaign, to ensure first that all citizens have access to the document.

The President also mentioned ongoing measures to reduce the number of children out of school due to child labour and premature unions, as well as efforts to improve access to medicines, combat drug theft in the National Health System and strengthen sanitation in communities.

Chapo also said that the government will continue to work on protecting children against violence, on the laws on premature marriages and early pregnancies and on the creation of conditions for girls to have access to menstrual hygiene, also defending the participation of families, communities and civil society.

At the end of the session, which took place in the Assembly of the Republic, Chapo promised that, before the next edition of the Children's Parliament, the Government would report to the children on compliance with the recommendations adopted in this issue, indicating what has been done, what remains to be done and the reasons for the delays.

“We do not want children to repeat the same problems again at the next session,” the President said.

The humanitarian crisis stems from the insurgency that affects Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich province, since October 2017. According to data previously released by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), 2,408 violent events have been recorded since the beginning of the conflict, of which 2,224 involving elements associated with the Islamic State Mozambique (EIM), causing more than 6,600 deaths.

The report indicates that one million children currently need humanitarian assistance in the country, in a universe of 1.8 million people in need. Mozambique still accounts for more than 506,000 internally displaced people related to the conflict and 715 thousand returned to the areas of origin.