Food |
Maputo — Over
300,000 people are affected by food insecurity as a result of the
drought in southern and central Mozambique, the government spokesperson,
Deputy Health Minister Mouzinho Saide, announced in Maputo.
Adding up the
figures provided by local authorities, the exact number of people
affected by drought and food insecurity is 315,366 said Saide, speaking
to reporters at the end of the weekly meeting of the Council of
Ministers (Cabinet).
While the southern
and central provinces are dealing with the consequences of drought,
northern Mozambique faces the opposite problem. Saide said that floods
in the north have affected 32,243 people, and have destroyed 4,991
houses and 109 schools.
A national campaign
of solidarity with the victims of these natural disasters had so far
led to the collection of 27 tonnes of foodstuffs, 444 shelter kits, and
780,000 meticais (15,600 US dollars, at current exchange rates) in cash.
Saide said that
during the meeting President Filipe Nyusi had reiterated his willingness
to hold a face-to-face meeting with Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the
rebel movement Renamo, in order to seek a solution leading to an
effective peace.
The government,
continued Saide, restated “its commitment to peace and reconciliation
among all Mozambicans”, and remained open to dialogue with Renamo, based
on the democratic rule of law and social justice.
But despite the government's openness, “Renamo is not responding to the invitation to dialogue”, he said.
Referring to the
ambushes staged on major roads in the central provinces, Saide added
that Renamo “is continuing to undertake criminal acts of destabilization
in certain parts of the country, killing and terrorizing people and
destroying property”.
Renamo was thus
“contradicting a fundamental value expressed in the Constitution, namely
the right to life, as well as the Mozambican agenda for development”.
The Council of
Ministers, he added, has again urged all those in illegal possession of
firearms to hand them over to the authorities.
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