Mozambique - March Political Digest

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SUBJECT: Mozambique - March Political Digest


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1. (U) This is a summary of significant political developments
in Mozambique that occurred during March 2007. We provide it
as a supplement to our other reporting.

-- Commission of Inquiry into Weapons Depot Explosion

-- Likely Delay in Scheduling Provincial Elections

-- Humanitarian De-mining Winding Down

-- Mozambique Sends Large Delegation to Trafficking-
in-Persons Conference


Commission of Inquiry into Weapons Depot Explosion

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2. (SBU) On March 23 President Guebuza announced the
formation of an independent Commission of Inquiry into
the March 22 explosions at the Malhazine weapons depot
in Maputo. The explosions killed over 100 people and
injured more than 500. Charged with establishing the
cause of the explosions, the Commission consists of
three senior judges: the President of the
Administrative Tribunal (the body that monitors the
legality of public expenditure),Antonio Pale; the
presiding judge of the Maputo city court, Augusto
Paulino; and the director of the Judicial Training
Centre, Bemvinda Levy. Although Guebuza stated that
the Commission would have a free hand in its
investigation, some believe the Commission will
provide only the report that the government wants.
The main opposition party, RENAMO, charges that the
Commission is not sufficient and has called on the
National Assembly to set up its own commission of inquiry.
According to government, most of the material ejected
from the depot by the blasts has been collected. The
government has announced that it will compensate victims,
paying their medical bills and rebuilding destroyed dwellings.
Comment: Embassy sources report that the Commission
appears to be working very slowly and is nowhere
near ready to issue a report on its findings.
End comment.

Likely Delay in Scheduling Provincial Elections
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3. (U) Mozambique's first provincial assembly
elections are constitutionally mandated to be
held no later than January 20, 2008. Efforts
had been underway to schedule the elections
prior to the rainy season this year, which
starts in October, but that now seems unlikely.
The National Electoral Committee (CNE),the
body responsible for proposing a date for
the elections, according to the Constitution
must do so six months in advance but has not
yet even been formed.


4. (U) The Constitutional Court, after general
elections held during the rainy season (in
December) in 2004, recommended that subsequent
elections take place during drier months so
that voters would have less trouble reaching
polling sites. However, due to the six month
restriction, if CNE is formed in May/June the
date for the election will probably be November
or December, during the rainy season. To shift
the election date to the dry season would require
either the shortening of the six month advance
notice requirement or missing the constitutionally
mandated January 20 deadline. The leader of the
Parliamentary Commission on Elections is of the
opinion that a change in the six month requirement
can be done only with the concurrence of the
leadership of the two main political parties, which
he told emboff was not likely.

Humanitarian De-mining Winding Down
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5. (U) Fifteen years after the end of Mozambique's
devastating civil war, efforts to clear the
country of deadly landmines are winding down. The

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largest humanitarian group involved in de-mining,
the UK-based nongovernmental organization HALO Trust,
has informed donor governments (including the USG)
that its work in the northern half of the country
is nearly done. HALO will end its de-mining
operations in June after working in Mozambique's
four northern provinces for 13 years.


6. (U) The Norwegian People's Aid (NPA),a
humanitarian NGO run by the Norwegian trade union
movement that has been active in Mozambique for
many years, departed the country in December 2006.
NPA, upon leaving, said that the GRM had the
capacity to handle the few mines that remained
in the central provinces, the area where NPA worked.
International humanitarian support for de-mining
operations in Mozambique dropped by more than 25
percent in 2006, to US$9.2 million from $12.7
million the year before, reflecting a growing
consensus among donor and aid organizations that
landmines in Mozambique no longer pose a major
threat.

Mozambique Sends Large Delegation to Trafficking-
in-Persons Conference
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7. (U) The Southern Africa Network Against Trafficking
and Abuse of Children (SANTAC) held its annual meeting
in Johannesburg on March 27-29. Of the 100
participants from 10 countries attending the SANTAC
conference, approximately 30 came from Mozambique,
including civil society and government representatives.
Keynote speakers included former Mozambican First
Lady Graca Machel, current South African Justice Minister
Brigite Sylvia, and a representative for Archbishop
Desmond Tutu. The three-day SANTAC conference focused on
devising a consensus definition of trafficking-in-persons,
encouraging bilateral and regional cooperation, and discussing
prevention, prosecution, and protection techniques. The
conference produced six-page final declaration that SANTAC
hopes to present to respective ministerial-level
representatives later in the year.

Johnson