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

Floor Speech

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.

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.

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