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By La Croix International staff | Mozambique
Catholic bishops in Mozambique are appealing for dialogue to bring an end to the ongoing violence by militants that have ravaged the province of Cabo Delgado
"We express our fraternal closeness to the brothers and fellow citizens of Cabo Delgado and assure them of our constant prayer in the hope of finding paths of dialogue that will facilitate the end of the terrible conflict and the humanitarian drama" say members of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, at the end of their November 9-14 Plenary Assembly held in Maputo.
The bishops, in their closing statement, define themselves as pastors who strive to live and bear witness to hope in these times of great tribulation for the flock entrusted to them, caused, on the one hand, by the coronavirus pandemic and, on the other, by the violence in Cabo Delgado, characterized by kidnappings, crime and human rights violations, FIDES reported.
The bishops recall the solicitude and concrete gestures of Pope Francis towards the Mozambican people, stressing the importance of education, social development, and praying for national reconciliation. "It is everyone's responsibility -- they underline -- to work to get out of the current crises", the bishops said.
Earlier, the Southern African Catholic bishops also spoke out against militant attacks in northern Mozambique and called for prayers to bring about peace.
"The violence, loss of life and the reality of displaced persons currently unfolding in the Province of Cabo Delgado in the north of Mozambique concerns us deeply", said IMBISA members of the Standing Committee of Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa.
They said they were shocked by the violence in Cabo Delgado Province due to the jihadists of the "Central African Province of the Islamic State".
Pope Francis had in August personally phoned the Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa of Pemba -- whose diocese in Cabo Delgado is ravaged by militant attacks -- to say he is closely following events there and praying for the local people. On 12 April the pope prayed for Cabo Delgado on Easter Sunday during the Urbi et Orbi blessing, referring to the humanitarian crisis in that province.
Militants have assaulted remote villages since October 2017 but in recent weeks they have stepped up attacks seizing government buildings, robbing banks and blocking roads across the Province of Cabo Delgado.
Although the identity of the assailants remains unclear, many like the southern African bishops, say it is by jihadis as part of their campaign for an Islamist caliphate in the gas-rich region.
Since June the local Al-Shabaab group with alleged links to the so-called Islamic State has claimed around 20 attacks in Cabo Delgado. It maintains that these attacks were targeted against the Mozambican army.
Deadly attacks by groups in Cabo Delgado have resulted in many deaths and the displacement of villagers from their homes and farms. Thousands fled rural areas to the port city of Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado, seeking refuge.
The conflict has already killed more than 700 people and according to date provided by the Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario more than 500,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.
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