ISS TODAY: The AU urges Mozambique to get its act together to uphold democracy By ISS Today issafrica
Mozambique is under fire for not upholding democratic principles such as the separation of powers and for the continued political violence in the country. A new report by the African Peer Review Mechanism , an African Union organ, says the country is marked by “the prevalence of allegedly politically motivated intimidation, violence and killings”.
This report comes as the country tries to show progress in its fight against corruption – a failure noted by the APRM report. On 16 February, Ndambi Guebuza, son of former president Armando Guebuza, was arrested in connection with a $2-billion corruption scandal that left the country heavily indebted through the purchase of fishing and naval vessels it couldn’t afford.
There remains some doubt, however, whether this crackdown by Mozambican authorities will go all the way or if it’s just to impress the International Monetary Fund, which must decide whether to give new loans to Mozambique. Budget support to Mozambique was suspended after the discovery of the 2016 debt scandal.
Despite the AU’s criticism, Mozambique deserves some credit for opening itself up to continental scrutiny. It is one of the few APRM member states to undergo a second country review after the first one in 2009. The APRM has embarked on a new strategy to become more relevant and integrate its work with other AU structures. The timely publication of the Mozambique report, together with one on Côte d’Ivoire, is a clear step in the right direction. The APRM also produced a “state of governance” report to heads of state at the AU summit.
The Mozambique document says a National Programme of Action from 2019 to 2024 has been drawn up by the government to address the challenges noted by the APRM. Many of the issues plaguing Mozambique, however, depend on political change.
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