Christian Leaders call for increased efforts in “restoring peace in Mozambique”

Members of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) have issued a statement calling for peace and stability in Mozambique following a period of severe political unrest, violence, and social upheaval.

In the December 31 statement shared with the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) communication office, the Christian leaders urge the South African government – “an active member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to increase its efforts towards restoring peace to Mozambique.”

The SACC members bemoan the tragic consequences of post-election protests that have disrupted the Mozambican nation, left over 200 dead, and forced countless others to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

“The SACC has received disturbing news of thousands of people leaving their homes and becoming displaced within Mozambique and seeking refuge in neighboring countries like Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. This will create instability for the whole region,” say the SACC leaders.

In their statement, the Christian leaders lament the breakdown of trust between the public and law enforcement which has led “members of the public (to organise) their own ways of protecting themselves and their property outside of the legal and institutional frame.”

“This is exacerbated by the violence of the escaped prisoners who are feared to be targeting those individuals who were instrumental in their arrests – and this has sent a wave of fear across society,” reads the December 31 statement.

Members of the SACC further call for humanitarian assistance to victims of the tropical cyclone Chido that wracked the north of Mozambique. They commend the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM) for calling on the “government, opposition political parties, and independent candidates of Mozambique to urgently come together in one room, and collectively prioritise the needs of the people of Mozambique.”

As the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) observes three days of prayer for peace in Mozambique, the SACC members invite South Africans to join daily prayers for peace in Mozambique and to participate in scheduled national prayer events.

Meanwhile, Bishop José Luís Gerardo Ponce de León IMC has called on parishes in Manzini Diocese to donate food items to the Malindza Refugee Welcome Centre where “at least 900 people have arrived from Mozambique.”