[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5711-H5713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING FOR STABILITY AND THE CESSATION OF VIOLENCE AND CONDEMNING
ISIS-AFFILIATED TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE, INCLUDING
THE CABO DELGADO PROVINCE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 720) calling for stability and the cessation of
violence and condemning ISIS-affiliated terrorist activity in northern
Mozambique, including the Cabo Delgado Province, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 720
Whereas, in August 2019, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi,
of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), and the
Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) President Ossufo
Momade signed the Peace and Reconciliation Accord in Maputo,
ending several years of resurgent armed conflict between
RENAMO and FRELIMO before RENAMO's rebel leader Mariano
Nhongo was killed by Mozambican forces in October 2021;
Whereas, in October 2017, violent extremists locally known
as al-Shabab or Ahlu al-Sunnah wal-Jamaah targeted civilians
in the Cabo Delgado Province and eventually took up arms
against the Mozambican state, launching an armed insurgency
that has had dire consequences for human rights, security,
and socioeconomic welfare in the Cabo Delgado Province;
Whereas, since 2017, Ahlu al-Sunnah wal-Jamaah has killed
thousands of civilians and brutalized communities in Cabo
Delgado Province, including through mass beheadings of men
and boys, abductions, including of children who are forced to
take up arms, and attacks against transportation, supply
convoys, government facilities, and other buildings, such as
homes, schools, and hospitals;
Whereas, in 2018, the Cabo Delgado-based violent extremist
group reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and was acknowledged by ISIS as an
affiliate in August 2019;
Whereas, on March 10, 2021, the Department of State
designated Ahlu al-Sunnah wal-Jamaah, also known as ISIS-
Mozambique, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the
Immigration and Nationality Act, and as Specially Designated
Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224, and identified
Tanzanian national Abu Yasir Hassan as the leader of the
organization;
Whereas, in late March 2021, ISIS-Mozambique launched a
complex attack against the northern Mozambican town of Palma
over several days, overwhelming Mozambican forces, killing
and abducting dozens of people, and destroying
infrastructure, leading TotalEnergies to declare force
majeure in relation to its partially United States
Government-financed $20,000,000 liquified natural gas project
near Palma;
Whereas, in May 2021, the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum reported a high risk of new mass killings in
Mozambique as part of the Early Warning Project risk
assessment for 2020-2021;
Whereas the United States Government announced in March
2021 its segment training of the Mozambican armed forces to
help build their counterterrorism capacities, and the
European Union announced in July 2021 that it would establish
a military training mission in Mozambique;
Whereas, on June 23, 2021, the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) heads of state issued a communique approving
the deployment of the SADC Standby Force Mission to combat
``acts of terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado'';
Whereas, on July 10, 2021, Mozambican President Filipe
Nyusi confirmed that 1,000 Rwandan forces had begun deploying
to the Cabo Delgado Province and that a SADC standby force
would follow, and on August 8, 2021, Rwandan forces announced
they had retaken a strategic provincial port from ISIS-
Mozambique;
Whereas grievances fueling terrorist recruitment reportedly
include allegations of state corruption and exploitation,
including by security forces, and historical socioeconomic
and political marginalization of the Cabo Delgado Province
and other northern regions, which has constrained development
and brought about high rates of poverty, youth unemployment,
and socioeconomic inequality;
Whereas international development of northern Mozambique's
natural resources has the potential to yield economic benefit
to the Cabo Delgado Province's local populations through job
creation, increased private investment, and expanded
development initiatives, yet in some cases resource
development has reportedly displaced local communities and
some have been inadequately compensated for lost land, homes,
and disrupted livelihoods;
Whereas international human rights monitors have reported
human rights violations perpetrated by Mozambican security
forces during counterterrorism operations in the Cabo Delgado
Province, including arbitrary arrests, abductions, torture of
detainees, excessive force against unarmed civilians,
intimidation, and extrajudicial killings;
Whereas, as of June 2021, ISIS-Mozambique's attacks and
resulting clashes with government forces throughout the Cabo
Delgado Province have killed over 3,000 people and displaced
nearly 800,000, left 1,300,000 people in need of humanitarian
assistance, including approximately 900,000, primarily women
and children, in emergency-levels of food insecurity, and in
July 2021, the World Food Program warned that insufficient
funding could lead to famine in the region;
Whereas the United States, through the United States Agency
for International Development, is the single largest donor of
humanitarian assistance in Mozambique; and
Whereas, in April 2021, the World Bank approved a
$100,000,000 grant to Mozambique's Agency for Integrated
Development of the North for the ``restoration of livelihoods
and economic opportunities, building of social cohesion, and
improving access to basic services as well as the
rehabilitation of selected public infrastructure intended to
benefit internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host
communities in targeted areas of Northern Mozambique'', and
has determined Mozambique is eligible for its Prevention and
Resilience Allocation, granting potential access of up to
$700,000,000 in additional assistance for similar projects:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the violence, targeting of civilians, and
terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS-Mozambique in the Cabo
Delgado Province;
(2) urges the Mozambican Government to--
(A) continue to work with international partners to restore
security in the Cabo Delgado Province and counter violent
extremism and terrorism in a manner that prioritizes the
protection of civilians and their human rights;
[[Page H5712]]
(B) take steps to protect children from abduction, forced
conscription, and other forms of exploitation;
(C) ensure humanitarian workers have access to vulnerable
populations in the Cabo Delgado Province, including by
reducing bureaucratic constraints on travel documents,
humanitarian aid, and related equipment;
(D) hold to account any government official who sought to
disrupt the equitable provision of humanitarian assistance,
or who diverted such assistance, profited from its
distribution, or otherwise engage in exploitative or corrupt
acts relating to the acquisition or provision of humanitarian
aid;
(E) work with the international community to document,
investigate, and prosecute human rights abuses and other
crimes committed by state security forces, militias,
terrorists, and other armed actors, and to build government
capacities to accomplish such outcomes; and
(F) develop comprehensive national strategies and
implementation plans to address underlying social, political,
and economic grievances of local populations in the Cabo
Delgado Province and neighboring provinces;
(3) calls on Mozambican community leaders and civil society
members in the Cabo Delgado Province to strengthen local
resiliencies and prevent targeting and other forms of
intercommunal violence and conflict;
(4) calls on the United States Government and other donor
governments to appropriately coordinate diplomatic, defense,
and development resources and continue to expand, where
possible, efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, promote
good governance, spur economic growth, and build the capacity
of the Government of Mozambique to counter terrorism and
violent extremism and address conflict through existing
programs, such as the Partnership for Regional East Africa
Counterterrorism (PREACT), and future interagency
initiatives, while ensuring respect for human rights and
protection of civilians;
(5) urges the Mozambican Northern Integrated Development
Agency to consult with local populations and civil society
groups in the Cabo Delgado Province and to ensure
transparency and accountability in the provision of
development assistance; and
(6) calls on the international donor community to support
continued humanitarian assistance, particularly in support of
Mozambique's Humanitarian Response Plan and local and
national aid organizations providing aid to populations in
the Cabo Delgado Province or other conflict-affected areas in
Mozambique.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Manning) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs.
Kim) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H. Res. 720, calling for stability and
cessation of violence and condemning ISIS-affiliated terrorist activity
in northern Mozambique, including the Cabo Delgado Province, and for
other purposes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 720 calling for
stability and the cessation of violence and condemning ISIS-affiliated
terrorist activity in northern Mozambique, including the Cabo Delgado
Province, and for other purposes.
Let me start by thanking Representative Sara Jacobs for her work on
this critical resolution.
Since 2017, terrorists operating under the ISIS banner have laid
waste to a large part of the Cabo Delgado Province in northern
Mozambique, killing thousands of civilians, displacing millions, and
grinding almost all economic activity in the region to a halt. The
devastation these terrorists inflicted on the people spurred an
unprecedented humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique that continues
to unfold.
With the support of the United States, Rwanda, the European Union,
South Africa, and other Southern African Development Community members,
the terrorist threat in northern Mozambique has been largely
neutralized. There is more work to do, including those efforts underway
to stabilize the region, return refugees and IDPs to their homes, and
revitalize livelihoods and the regional economy.
To effectively address these issues, including the underlying drivers
of violent extremism, the Government of the Republic of Mozambique must
spearhead a strong, comprehensive plan to implement a national security
strategy and establish an inclusive process for economic growth and
development in the north.
The United States remains committed to supporting Mozambique's
efforts to strengthen democracy, improve transparency and other good
governance measures, and stimulate its economy.
This resolution condemns the violence against civilians in the Cabo
Delgado Province, including the terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS-
Mozambique, and calls on the Government of the Republic of Mozambique
to end the conflict and increase its humanitarian support effort.
The United States stands with the people of Mozambique and will
continue to counter the spread of violent extremism there and around
the world.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 720 that I am
co-leading alongside my colleague, Representative Sara Jacobs. I thank
Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for their support, as well.
This resolution calls for a cessation of violence and condemns ISIS-
affiliated terrorists in northern Mozambique. Since 2017, ISIS-
affiliated extremists launched an armed insurgency in northern
Mozambique and have brutalized communities, displaced civilians, and
attacked schools, homes, and hospitals.
Last year, terrorist elements took over the town of Palma, further
causing chaos, displacement, and gruesome civilian casualties. The
largest private U.S. investment on the continent--a natural gas
project--was forced to halt work and temporarily withdraw.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly condemn these violent attacks, and I commend
the Government of Mozambique's efforts to dedicate resources to
addressing this threat and early steps to partner with the United
States and allies to build the capacity and professionalization of
security forces, bolster the justice system, and ensure governance and
services to communities in previously marginalized areas of Cabo
Delgado Province. I also commend the troop deployment by the Southern
African Development Community to stabilize the region.
We have seen this elsewhere--whether the early days of ISIS in Syria
or Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria. Terrorist insurgency movements
cannot be left unaddressed, and early steps to address the root causes
of such movements can prevent costly interventions and massive loss of
human life later on.
The United States has key economic, security, and diplomatic
interests in urgently addressing this terrorist threat.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Jacobs), the vice chair of the International
Development, International Organizations, and Global Corporate Social
Impact Subcommittee.
Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend,
Representative Manning, for yielding time; to Chairman Meeks for
advancing this legislation in committee; and to Chairwoman Bass; and my
friend Congresswoman Kim, for partnering with me on this important
effort.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution on Mozambique,
which calls for stability and the cessation of violence in northern
Mozambique and condemns the attacks and violence by ISIS-Mozambique.
It calls for a new strategy and a new approach for how the U.S.
engages with Mozambique to address conflict and violent extremism. And
part of why passing this resolution today is so important, is because
we need to raise awareness in this body and in this country about the
dire humanitarian situation in Mozambique.
Since 2017, ISIS-Mozambique, also known as Ahlu al Sunnah wal Jamaah,
has inflicted violence on communities in Mozambique. These insurgents
have brutalized people and targeted civilians through mass beheadings
of men and boys, abductions of children, and attacks against key
civilian infrastructure.
[[Page H5713]]
This violence, combined with the government response to it, has
killed over 1,700 civilians in Cabo Delgado Province alone.
The international community, particularly the Southern African
Development Community forces and Rwanda's forces, have responded with
troop deployment to secure areas and shield civilians from continued
violence. But let's be clear. We know that a military-led response will
not be enough.
That is why I was so supportive of the Biden administration's recent
designation of Mozambique as a priority country under the Global
Fragility Act, so that we can better align resources among the
interagency and work to address the key drivers of this violence and
other forms of instability in the country.
And as we craft our strategy for Mozambique, we must be clear-eyed
about the underlying grievance and what it will really take to make a
difference in preventing new violence from occurring. We know that
terrorism and violent extremism are also fueled by perceptions of state
repression, human rights abuses, and socioeconomic and political
marginalization. We know that these factors exist in Mozambique and in
the state response to ISIS-Mozambique. We need to be honest about the
challenges impacting the Mozambican people in order to get serious
about preventing future terrorist recruitment.
We also need to ensure that we are helping the Mozambican Government
support development goals of Cabo Delgado and northern Mozambique that
will allow all sectors of society to thrive.
That is why I am looking forward to the United States' partnership
with the Mozambique Government and the Mozambican people and to
ensuring our strategy is shaped by lessons learned from our
counterterrorism missions across the world that have consistently
fallen short.
This resolution has strong support from across the ideological
spectrum. I am proud to lead the passage of this important resolution,
and I urge my colleagues to support it.
{time} 1630
Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
This resolution condemns the terrorist attacks and ISIS insurgency in
northern Mozambique and urges the administration to prioritize efforts
to address this threat.
I am pleased that the administration selected Mozambique as a
priority country to implement a 10-year strategy for U.S. diplomatic,
development, and security engagement. This type of long-term
interagency planning is critically important to coordinating U.S.
efforts and ensuring the most effective use of resources to target the
root causes of the instability and terrorism. This issue cannot wait,
and the administration must implement the requirements of the Global
Fragility Act without further delay.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for
the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, the terrorist activity that has destabilized parts of
northern Mozambique is a symptom of a larger issue at hand. The United
States is working closely with the Mozambican Government to help
address the drivers of terrorist recruitment by supporting governance
reforms, providing humanitarian assistance, and promoting other
stabilization efforts in the country.
This resolution underscores that commitment and urges the Mozambican
Government to create a centralized and comprehensive strategy to
counter violent extremism and restore security in its northern region.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Jacobs for her leadership on this
resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to join us by voting in the
affirmative.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Torres of New York). The question is on
the motion offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning)
that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res.
720.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
____________________