Mozambique Country Report

Mozambique is a resource-rich country that, three decades after its civil war, is still going through a democratic transition. Mozambican politics and government have been dominated since 1992 by the Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo), a socialist revolutionary party that defeated the anti-communist forces of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo). While Renamo has lost much of its support, it largely remains the de-facto political opposition to Frelimo, and fragments of its military branches remain. Following a resurgence of political violence between both parties in 2013-2019, peace talks have led to a significant calming of hostilities. Since 2019, the disarmament of remaining Renamo factions has been met with mild resistance, but with a diminishing risk of renewed tensions.

Frelimo has largely consolidated its grasp on Mozambican politics through the repeated use of violence, censorship, and alleged voter fraud. Opposition groups and civil society have repeatedly demanded the decentralization of government, but Frelimo has been greatly reluctant to implement any changes. Opposition has been strongest in Mozambique’s majority Muslim northern provinces, which have consistently been foyers of opposition to the central government. Tensions rose following the discovery of rare ore in the northern province of Cabo Delgado and liquified gas reserves in the Mozambique Channel in the late 2000s. The arrival of foreign mining companies was met with some resistance from the poorer local populations, who remained largely agrarian and did not seem to benefit from foreign investment.

Since October 2017, an Islamist movement has largely transformed those grievances into a religious extremist insurrection. Supported and likely funded by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, the militants have proven a credible threat in Cabo Delgado and the neighboring Niassa and Nampula provinces. The violence culminated in 2021, when insurgents invaded the coastal city of Palma, forcing the local population to flee, foreigners to be evacuated, and halting the construction of a billion-dollar natural gas project. While the arrival of military reinforcements from neighboring countries has significantly increased the levels of security, much of the rural areas remain under severe threat of attack. In addition, the insurgency has led to a refugee crisis in adjacent provinces, has likely enhanced the effects of famine and natural disasters by preventing adequate aid from reaching Cabo Delgado, and compromised the economic development of what remains Mozambique's poorest province.

The relative slowness of Mozambique’s development is partially attributable to its high levels of corruption and weak rule of law. Although improvements have been made due to sustained pressure from important donor countries, there remain concerns over openness and political processes in Mozambique as Frelimo attempts to retain complete control of the state amid increasing pressure from opposition groups.

The primary threats to foreign nationals come from high rates of criminal activity, sporadic unrest linked to socio-economic grievances, and disease outbreaks. Much of Mozambique’s infrastructure is undeveloped compared to that in Western countries, particularly regarding the secondary road network and medical facilities.

COVID-19 restrictions

Although authorities announced the lifting of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in April 2023, implementation delays mean international travelers are still submitted to entry restrictions. Vaccinated travelers arriving via air travel must present electronically verifiable proof of a complete vaccine schedule to enter completed at least 14 days prior to arrival. Unvaccinated international arrivals in Mozambique must present a negative result from a COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure for the country. Children under 11 years old are exempt. For travelers arriving in Mozambique via land border crossings, a negative test result remains valid for seven days, permitting multiple entries or short-term return travel. Passengers who test positive upon or fail to provide a negative test result must self-quarantine for seven days.

Mozambique is considered a high-security risk due to the prevalence of organized criminal syndicates, the possibility of armed conflict, and the active terrorist insurgency in its northern provinces. Main areas of threat include Mozambique’s northern provinces, the southern borders with South Africa and Eswatini, as well as most urban areas.

Petty and violent criminal activity is common and widespread in Mozambique, with foreign nationals being singled out due to perceptions of relative wealth. Most crimes remain non-violent and opportunistic, such as pickpocketing, bag snatching, and petty theft, although criminals can occasionally be armed with knives or firearms and are often quick to resort to violence if challenged or resisted. It is common for criminals to engage their victims by distracting them before robbing them. The risk of crime considerably increases at night, during holiday periods.

Kidnapping statistics for Mozambique are unreliable, but abductions are believed to have increased significantly in recent years. Transnational criminal syndicates operating along the South African border are allegedly responsible for around one high-profile kidnapping every month, fueling a million-dollar criminal industry. While victims tend to be small business owners, often of Asian descent, they pose a credible threat to foreigners due to their perceived wealth and ability to pay a ransom.

Unrest is also relatively common in Mozambique’s urban centers, driven by a range of socio-economic and political issues. Tensions are particularly elevated around sensitive anniversaries, national holidays, and elections. Limited security resources and general operational ineffectiveness of police means that Mozambican forces often suffer from poor crowd control. As a result, security forces are often quick to resort to aggressive dispersal tactics when dealing with demonstrations.

Although Renamo rebel activity has declined significantly since the declaration of a ceasefire in 2016, sporadic, low-intensity violence continues to be reported in areas of Mozambique's northern and central provinces despite ongoing peace talks with the Frelimo government. However, attacks by Renamo fighters opposed to the peace process present a significantly lower threat than violence during the most recent upsurge in fighting between 2013 and 2016, predominantly involving bandit attacks on vehicles traveling on highways in remote areas. Although the peace process remains relatively fragile, the Renamo leadership is currently committed to the demobilization and reintegration of their forces.

Authorities continue to struggle to contain an ongoing insurgency by the Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamo (ASWJ) militant group in Cabo Delgado province. ASWJ pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), which has reportedly provided weapons, funding, and training to the militants. Attacks peaked in 2021, including an attack on the coastal city of Palma before spreading to the neighboring Nampula and Niassa provinces, and targeting military, industrial, and civilian complexes. Armed forces from the SADC and Rwanda have since helped stabilize the threat, securing important infrastructure and highways, and enabling foreign companies to resume mining and exploratory drilling operations. Militant cells remain active in rural areas and forests especially, occasionally targeting local villages and threatening industrial activities.

Regulatory oversight in Mozambique’s aviation sector has been improving in recent years, and domestic airlines have recently been removed from international blacklists. However, facilities at many airports are basic and the safety of some domestic flights may fall below international standards.

Driving conditions are hazardous in the country due to the poor quality of the road network, particularly in rural areas, and limited adherence to safety regulations.

The ports are considered efficient.

Development remains heavily focused in major cities and provincial centers and many rural communities remain isolated. The country's telecommunications infrastructure also remains underdeveloped and internet access is hampered by high costs and slow speeds.

There are increasing concerns over the threat from cyber-attacks, which can cause damage to the country's economy and public services.

Mozambique has a tropical climate with a distinct rainy season running from November to April, although large areas in the south of the country are arid. Large-scale flooding occurs annually during the rainy season, often causing significant overland travel disruption. Mozambique is also prone to severe droughts that can trigger significant food security crises in rural areas.

Unexploded ordnance and landmines have become less of a risk in recent years due to NGO-led demining efforts, although there remains a landmine threat in some remote rural areas. The country is also situated in a seismically active region and experiences periodic earthquakes, typically of low-to-moderate intensity.

Malaria is endemic in Mozambique and prophylaxis is recommended for all travelers. African sleeping sickness, dengue fever, tick-borne fever, and rift valley fever are also present, while cholera outbreaks are relatively common. Medical facilities are extremely limited in the country, however, basic medical care can be found in Maputo and most provincial capitals. Medical evacuations to South Africa are generally required for all major procedures or prolonged treatment and can be extremely expensive. Although there are numerous pharmacies in Maputo and other urban centers, some prescription pharmaceuticals are not widely available, particularly in rural areas. Quality of medicines cannot be guaranteed as they are often stored improperly, in low supply, or counterfeit. Tap water is not considered safe for consumption.

Despite the intense and frequently violent rivalry between Frelimo and Renamo, Mozambique has remained relatively stable through its ongoing democratic transition, with Frelimo continuing to dominate the country's political sphere with power heavily centralized in Maputo. However, the ruling party has been gradually losing support to Renamo and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) in recent years. The ruling party enjoyed a landslide victory in the last general election, winning a two-thirds majority in parliament and control of all ten provincial administrations, but widespread allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities have raised questions over whether Frelimo is prepared to cede power for the first time since independence.

Despite some improvements brought about by pressure from important donor countries and international partners, corruption remains a serious issue in Mozambique, affecting both the public and private sectors. Rule of law has also historically been weak in the country, with corruption issues extending to the judiciary, but is improving.