Political Quotes

“I rise to call attention to the rapidly burgeoning Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique, which is dragging that country into ever-increasing violence and chaos. In the past decade, Mozambique has taken steps to resolve a decades-long civil war and while peace remains elusive, with longstanding support from the United States, there has been progress. This progress, when coupled with the 2010 discovery of enormous natural gas reserves in the remote northern province of Cabo Delgado, could have changed the development course of the country. But a new conflict has emerged in Mozambique that threatens all of the potential gains for the citizens of the province and the entire country. The origins of this extremist insurgency share traits with many others globally: a marginalized community's grievance against corrupt and distant rulers, fueled and brutally exploited by radical Islamist ideologues, has allowed extremism to take root and gain traction, while the innocent majority of the local population bears the cost. The extremists have proclaimed allegiance to ISIS and have rapidly developed increasingly sophisticated military capabilities; Mozambique's poorly trained security forces have proven unable to vanquish the group. It is an insurgency on the advance. It has seized seizing entire towns and now controls considerable territory.…”