Good morning – with apologies for the late arrival of Friday's Daily Briefing. On Mozambique’s Armed Forces Day it is customary to generously praise the men and women who defend the country in uniform, even though we're aware of major operational shortcomings, particularly in Cabo Delgado where a guerrilla group claiming to defend Islamic values has inflicted enormous suffering on the population, and the military deployed there, since October 2017.
However, speaking at his first Armed Forces Day as president on Thursday, Daniel Chapo acknowledged the armed forces’ effort, but said it is insufficient and that more investment is needed.
This is a dilemma in a country with a gaping deficit in its state budget, where the urgent needs of social sectors are already being diverted to the war effort.
The international tap can hardly be turned on, when even for civilian sectors there is a clear shortage of donations to a country that was until a decade ago one of the largest recipients of foreign aid in Africa.
