President Nyusi begins second term

MOZAMBIQUE’S President Filipe Nyusi was sworn in for a second and final term yesterday after five turbulent years in office amid two armed insurgencies.

Nyusi’s Frelimo won a re-election in October with 73% of the vote, while the opposition alleged irregularities.

Several African heads of state and the president of Portugal, the former colonial power, attended the inauguration in the southern African country of 30 million people.

The achievement of Nyusi’s first term was meant to be the peace agreement signed in August with the armed opposition Renamo.

Instead, it triggered fresh violence in central Mozambique by dissidents unhappy with the terms of the accord. More than 15 armed attacks on vehicles in central Mozambique have been reported in recent months, killing 21 people.

Nyusi’s government is also battling to contain deadly attacks in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, by extremists reportedly linked to the Islamic State group. About 300 people have been killed, including by beheading, since the attacks began in 2017.

Cabo Delgado, Nyusi’s home province, is home to two giant natural gas projects worth billions of dollars that Mozambique hopes will transform it into a middle-income country.

Work has begun on one of the projects, which changed ownership last year from US-based Anadarko to French oil major Total, with the aim to start producing liquified natural gas before Nyusi’s mandate ends in late 2024. The second project, led by ExxonMobil, is set to reach a final investment decision this year.

Nyusi is expected to announce his cabinet in the coming days. International investors will be watching closely to see if the Finance Minister Adriano Maleiane will be replaced.

Maleiane has guided the economy through difficulties following the discovery of $2 billion in debt taken by three state-linked security companies, with government guarantees whose validity has been contested.

Maleiane’s predecessor Manuel Chang has been in a South African prison for more than a year contesting extradition to the US to face charges in connection with those deals. |