By Jorge Joaquim
Malawian president Lazarus Chakwera was in Tete, Mozambique on Tuesday for a day-return state visit where he held bilateral talks with his Mozambican counterpart Filipe Nyusi. One of the subjects on the table was linked to Cabo Delgado terrorist attacks.
The death toll in the Cabo Delgado attacks has reached 2074, three years after the first attack recorded on October 5, 2017. More than 300,000 of displaced people have been recorded.
Last month the Malawian police detained two people described as “recruiters” who were taking a group of 14 citizens from Malawi into Mozambique for unknown purposes. In the past, people have been trafficked via Mozambique into South Africa. But nowadays the terrorists operating in Mozambique are known to be recruiting, and it is possible that Cabo Delgado was the true destination of the group caught on the border with Niassa.
Chakwera, speaking to the press at Kamuzu International Airport, said one of the highlights of the discussion with the Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi is the on-going conflict in some parts of Mozambique as well as the state of insecurity in that country which pose a threat to Malawi as a neighbouring nation.
According to Chakwera, Nyusi recognises the insecurity in his country and that they are working to resolve the issues.
Chakwera indicated that their discussion also touched on the need to improve trade links between the two countries.
For his part, President Nyusi, advocates maximizing cooperation with Malawi in order to increasingly facilitate the transit of goods through Mozambican ports and corridors, making that country connected and not stuck.
“One of the areas where opportunities lie that can be explored for mutual benefit are the Beira and Nacala development corridors. These potentialities can be maximized to set in motion the new approach of making Malawi a connected and not stuck country,” Nyusi said talking to the press.
Nyusi put forward the proposal to link Mozambique’s Sena line with Malawi’s railway line, ensuring that “Mozambique is introducing deep reforms to both corridors and rail-port infrastructure to ensure the rapid clearance of goods for the benefit not only of Malawi but also of the region.
Another highlight in the Nyusi declaration is the project to build the 400-kilowatt power transmission line between Mozambique and Malawi over a length of approximately 220 kilometers. “It is one of the examples that our resources are available for the development not only of Mozambique, but also of neighbouring countries.
This was Chakwera’s third state visit after Zambia and Zimbabwe. He is expected to leave Malawi again this Wednesday for a three-day visit in Tanzania.
