Mozambique - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

South Africa extends troop deployment in Mozambique and Congo

SOUTH Africa's military will extend the deployment of its troops in conflict-hit Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. The extension, for an unspecified amount of time, will keep 1,198 personnel of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in eastern Congo, where they are part of a U.N. peacekeeping force helping Congo fight rebel groups. The statement also said that 1,495 SANDF members would continue their operations in Mozambique, where they have been supporting the government's fight against violent extremism in northern areas since 2021. South Africa's military deployments abroad have come…

Apr

2024

By OPE ADETAYO

African leaders call for rethink on tackling violent extremism

NEWS

AFRICAN leaders at a security summit in Nigeria called for a revamp of institutions fighting violent extremism on the continent and the setting up of a standby military force and greater control over peace-keeping efforts. Groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda have been carrying out routine attacks in Africa, including the Sahel, Somalia and Mozambique, targeting civilians and the military. Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said while the Sahel suffered the most attacks on civilians, coastal states like Togo were facing growing threats. "I say this with prudence and regret, but I think the institutions that have been in…

Apr

2024

By MANUEL MUCARI

Over 100 dead in Mozambique ferry incident

NEWS

MORE than 100 people died after a ferry boat sank off the northern coast of Mozambique, President Filipe Nyusi said, and almost 20 others were still missing. An official from the country's Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR) said the vessel carrying 130 passengers was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licensed to transport people. It was ferrying people from Lunga in Nampula province to Mozambique Island on Sunday, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of INTRASMAR, said on state television, adding that initial reports indicated that it was hit by a tidal wave. The passengers were reportedly fleeing a cholera outbreak, the…

Apr

2024

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Twin rate cuts set Mozambique apart as African currency rally

BUSINESS

MOZAMBIQUE’S central bank has decisively cut its benchmark lending rate to 15.75% from 16.5%, setting a precedent as the first African country to slash rates twice in 2024. The move highlights Maputo’s aggressive push for economic growth amid a wider trend of cooling inflation and currency stability against the US dollar across Africa. Rate cuts in the southeastern African nation, prompted by near-four-year low consumer inflation, aim to stimulate economic activity through household spending. The steady Mozambican metical against the dollar since 2021 solidifies the central bank, Banco de Moçambique's move, balancing the rate cuts without igniting inflation or destabilising…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Two Russian sailors held in Mozambique as financial hostages, Moscow says

NEWS

TWO Russian sailors being held in the Mozambique port of Maputo are financial hostages in a dispute between the ship's owner and its local customer, Russia's foreign ministry told the state RIA news agency in remarks published. Russia's SHOT news outlet reported last week on its Telegram that two Russians, a Lithuanian and two Ukrainians have been locked up on board a Cameroon-flagged fishing boat Volopas for eight months. "They found themselves hostage to a financial and property dispute between the ship-owning company and a local agent company," Russia's foreign ministry told RIA. Diplomatic efforts to repatriate the sailors have…

Jan

2024

By MARK GLEESON

Cape Verde Islands beat Mozambique to win Cup of Nations group

AFCON 2023

THE Cape Verde Islands, the smallest country competing at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, became the first to book their place in the next stage of the competition as they beat Mozambique 3-0 on Friday. It was their second victory in Group B after a giant-killing 2-1 triumph over Ghana on Sunday and guarantees them top place and a spot in the last-16. Former Manchester United forward Bebe fired home a free kick from some 35 metres out in the 32nd minute with captain Ryan Mendes scoring their second soon after the break at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium. Another…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival

ENVIRONMENT

ANYONE who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like this, Idai, moved over Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique in March 2019. At that time, it was the deadliest storm in Africa. JASON P. MARSHAL, Associate Professor of Ecology, University of the Witwatersrand FRANCESCA PARRINI, Associate Professor in Animal Ecology, University of the Witwatersrand Rainfall at Gorongosa averages about 850mm per year. When Idai passed over, more than 200mm of rain fell in less than 24 hours. Over the…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

IMF approves disbursement of $60.7 million to Mozambique

BUSINESS

THE International Monetary Fund's executive board has completed the third review of Mozambique's three-year loan program, allowing for an immediate disbursement to Maputo of about $60.7 million, the fund said. The review brings total disbursements under the $456 million Extended Credit Facility program approved in 2022 to about $273 million, the IMF said late on Monday. "Program performance has been satisfactory," it said in a statement, adding that inflationary pressures had declined sharply and the economic recovery is accelerating. The three-year arrangement is expected to support economic recovery and policies to reduce public debt and financing vulnerabilities, while creating space…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

TotalEnergies to restart its delayed Mozambique LNG project in early 2024

BUSINESS

FRENCH energy firm TotalEnergies plans to restart its long-delayed $20 billion Mozambique liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the first quarter of next year, two sources told Reuters. Work on the project has been halted since 2021 when a violent insurgency led by Islamic State-linked militants threatened the Cabo Delgado site, leading to TotalEnergies declaring force majeure and halting construction. In September, chief executive officer at TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanne, said the company planned to restart before the end of this year, as the security situation improved with the support of a regional military force including Rwanda. "TotalEnergies have indicated that they…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Mozambique signs $5 billion hydro-project accord with EDF-led consortium

NEWS

MOZAMBIQUE has signed an accord with a consortium led by French power giant EDF to build the new $5 billion Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project, the government said, as it seeks to harness energy from one of Africa's largest rivers. The dam and hydropower plant will be built along the Zambezi River in Tete province to the north of Mozambique and will generate 1,500 megawatts of power in the first phase. "This is the first concrete step for Mozambique to capitalise on the immense hydropower potential of the Zambezi River and the country's other energy resources," Mozambique Energy Minister Carlos Zacarias…