Mozambican writer warns about foreign intervention in counterterrorism efforts

MAPUTO, April. 29 — Mozambique’s prominent writer Mia Couto said he was surprised by the sudden “boom” of experts on the security situation in the north of the country and skeptical about foreign intervention in Mozambique’s counterterrorism process.
In an interview with the local television STV on Thursday, the multi-award-winning writer said in his opinion the foreign military intervention could jeopardize the country’s sovereignty.
“No country has found a miraculous solution in foreign intervention. It is not because we are bringing in foreign troops that the situation will suddenly change profoundly,” he said.
“I am surprised that there are so many specialists in the world who are more than 20,000 kilometers away come and explain to us what is happening in Cabo Delgado. It is strange that so many experts appear on our internal affairs,” said Couto.
The writer admitted that the foreign support, or assistance, as has already been said by President Filipe Nyusi, is acceptable, but “we have to be the ones to tell others where we want them to help us.”
Commenting on the sending of 3,000 men proposed by the Southern African Development Community, Couto said that “I think that military intervention should not be seen as something technical. But we must realize that this is a human issue and not merely a technical one.

– Xinhua