MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the humanitarian situation in Mozambique
15.9.2020 - (2020/2784(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Petras Auštrevičius, Stéphane Bijoux, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Dita Charanzová, Olivier Chastel, Klemen Grošelj, Moritz Körner, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Javier Nart, Frédérique Ries, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans
on behalf of the Renew Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0300/2020
B9‑0304/2020
European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian situation in Mozambique
The European Parliament,
- having regard having regard to its previous resolutions on Mozambique,
- having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- having regard to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of 1981,
- having regard to the joint EU-Africa Strategy,
- having regard to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals,
- having regard to the EU’s National Indicative Programme for Mozambique and the 11th European Development fund 2014-2020,
- having regard to the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Mozambique final report on the General and Provincial Assembly Elections of 15 October 2019,
- having regard to statement by the Co-President of ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly of 29 June 2020,
- having regard to the Council conclusions on Mozambique, adopted by written procedure on 22 April 2020.
- having regard to the communique of the 40th ordinary summit of the SADC heads of state and government of 17 August 2020,
- having regard to the Report of the Working Group on the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of 12 April 2016[1]
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution on ‘The EU's input on a UN binding instrument on transnational corporations with respect to human rights’ of 4 October 2018,
- having regard to the Human Rights Watch ‘World Report 2020: Mozambique’[2];
- having regard to the Reliefweb and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ‘Mozambique Situation Report’ of 10 September 2020[3]
- having regard to the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement of on 6 August 2019,
- having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure.
A. Whereas since October 2019 the so called Al-Shabaab group, allegedly affiliated with the armed group calling itself Islamic State of Central Africa Province, has renewed attacks on government forces and civilians targets in Cabo Delgado, the northern province of Mozambique;
B. Whereas the armed group has killed hundreds of innocent civilians, displaced some 200,000 people towards already vulnerable communities, halted humanitarian assistance in the region and committed numerous human rights abuses, including subjecting women and children to violence and degrading treatment;
C. Whereas Mozambique government security forces have responded with force, at times in evident contravention of international human rights commitments; whereas recent video footage obtained and verified by human rights groups shows Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) and the Mozambique Rapid Intervention Police (PIR) personnel committing possible extrajudicial executions and the transport and discarding of a large number of corpses into apparent mass graves;
D. Whereas the population is often taken hostage in the fights between armed groups and state military forces;
E. Whereas deterioration of human rights situation in northern Cabo Delgado province has been reported, including increasing crackdown on freedom of expression and harassment of journalists; whereas Mozambique’s leading newspaper the Canal de Mozambique suffered a Molotov cocktail attack on the 24th of August 2020; whereas this newspaper was responsible for exposing several corruption scandals of the Mozambican government;
F. Whereas more than half of the suspects accused of participating in Islamist militant attacks in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado have been acquitted of trial due to insufficient evidence;
G. Whereas the 2019 elections of Mozambique were marred with electoral violence, including extrajudicial killings, violations of freedom of assembly and physical attacks, perpetrations committed by government and opposition forces alike;
H. Whereas Mozambique has an obligation to uphold fundamental human rights standards through the international conventions which it has ratified; Whereas the security forces of Mozambique should stop any violations of human rights;
I. Whereas Mozambique has experienced devastating natural disasters in recent years, including two major cyclones in 2019, which have compounded already high poverty levels and insecurity; Whereas such disasters have led to widespread food insecurity and chronic malnutrition in parts, with over 43 per cent of children under age 5 stunted; whereas a total of 7.9 million people are estimated to be in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in 2020;
J. Whereas COVID-19 has further exposed the fragilities of the regional economy, which in the absence of adequate social protection has left millions of people employed in the informal economy and those who lost their jobs facing hunger, destitution and subject to vulnerabilities including in some cases basic human rights abuses; whereas Mozambique counts more than 4,500 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in all the 11 provinces of the country and 27 deaths, as of 9 September 2020;
K. Whereas Mozambique's President, Filipe Nyusi, declared a State of Emergency from 1 April to 31 July, with measures to contain the spread of COVID-19; whereas on 5 August, a second State of Emergency was declared from 8 August to 6 September, continuing the enforcement of restrictive measures including the limits on social gatherings and recreational activities; whereas on the 7th of September, President Nyusi declared a situation of public calamity for an indefinite period of time, in the framework of a new disaster management law;
L. Whereas Mozambique and in particular the Cabo Delgado region, is rich in natural resources and raw materials, something which has attracted investment by numerous international and EU companies who are competing for market access of natural resources;
M. Whereas mandatory due diligence at the global level is needed to ensure that the European and all other foreign investors and those involved in extraction industries act responsibly and contribute to local development in countries such as Mozambique; whereas the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights need to be respected and the ongoing negotiations to create a binding UN instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights is a step in the right direction;
N. Whereas on13 April 2020, the IMF approved the immediate debt service relief to 25 member countries including some USD 309M to Mozambique under Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;
O. Whereas the European Union has pledged €200 million in recovery support for Mozambique following the 2019 cyclones, followed by an additional €14.6 million to assist with COVID-2019 prevention and preparedness and to support local health systems;
1. Expresses its serious concerns over the continuously deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Mozambique and calls to stop the violence;
2. Condemns all terrorist attacks against the population of Mozambique perpetrated by so called al Shabaab and other Islamic terrorist organisations; expresses its deepest sympathies with the victims and families of terrorist activities;
3. Calls on the Government of Mozambique to take effective action and to protect its citizens; Calls on the Government of Mozambique to ensure that any and all military intervention in the region uphold and protect the basic principles of human rights and international humanitarian law;
4. Reminds the Government of Mozambique of its responsibility to bring all those suspected of terrorist activity to justice and to conduct fair trials;
5. Underlines that the elimination of the root causes of terrorism such as insecurity, poverty, human rights violations, environmental degradation, corruption and misuse of public funds, impunity, contribute immensely to the eradication of terrorist organisations;
6. Calls on the government of Mozambique to launch an independent and impartial investigation into torture and other grave violations committed by its security forces in Cabo Delgado; recalls that Mozambique is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which prohibit torture and other ill-treatment and arbitrary deprivation of life; calls on Mozambican authorities to combat impunity;
7. Urges, therefore that the Mozambican authorities to open-up to constructive and inclusive human rights dialogue on all levels of society and to allow independent human rights investigators and monitors, such as the UN Special Rapporteurs, access the Cabo Delgado province;
8. Calls for the end of current climate of intimidation and harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, activists and all those simply exercising their human rights and expressing their views on issues of public concern; calls on Mozambican authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into all suspected cases of vandalism of news outlets, mulling of freedom of speech and accusations of harassment and intimidation of journalists;
9. Calls on the EU and other international actors to hold inclusive talks, including through development programmes, and to work closely with regional and local authorities and civil society to address any and all human rights violations, poverty, environmental degradation, material insecurity and impunity and to engage in capacity-building initiatives to address these challenges at their roots;
10. Notes with concern the deteriorating situation for internally displaced people in Mozambique; calls in particular for the EU and its Members States to deliver on commitments to protect their security and safety as well as access to healthcare and basic services; calls on the EU and its Member States to work closely with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its Member States to solve the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region and to find an effective plan of action;
11. Recalls international aid commitments made the International Donors Pledging Conference held in Beira, on 30 May and 01 June 2019, at which the European Union pledged €200 million in recovery support; calls on the EU and its Member States to deliver on these commitments in full;
12. Insists that the EU and other international actors should maintain and strenghten integrated and coordinated approach on Mozambique, that includes the promotion of good governance, democracy, human rights, and the strengthening of the justice system and rule of law;
13. Points out that long-term recovery and development can only be achieved through sustainable and inclusive economic growth; calls therefore for EU assistance to support Mozambique’s efforts to stabilise its economy, create jobs, foster rural competitiveness, while ensuring inclusiveness and environmental preservation;
14. Reiterates that the EU is ready to engage in a dialogue with Mozambique to determine effective options for implementing the EU assistance, taking into account the complex and regional character of the situation, and invites the Government of Mozambique to be more responsive in this dialogue and cooperation with the EU and with SADC; encourages, in this regard, the cooperation between Mozambican authorities and all levels civil society in an effort to find an inclusive solution and to acutely address the needs of the most vulnerable;
15. Welcomes the IMF Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as a step in the right direction in assisting Mozambique combatting the economic fallout from COVID -19;
16. Calls on the EU to work closely with and provide assistance to Mozambican authorities in their goal to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, including through the exchange of best practices, training and humanitarian aid;
17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the ACP-EU Council, the institutions of the African Union, SADC and the Government and Parliament of Mozambique.