Luiz Fernando Lisboa he lived in Mozambique for twenty years, of which 8 as a bishop in the region of Cabo Delgado, diocese of Pemba. Brazilian, 65 and fearless. It took Pope Francis to convince him to leave Mozambique in February of this year. The death threats were becoming too many. Since 2017, the year of the first major attack on the North by Mozambican extremists, Lisboa has never stopped talking. He gave a voice to the people of his diocese, poorer than the already poor Mozambicans, denouncing the start of a war that if it had remained unheard by Maputo, would have brought an entire region of the country to its knees. They call it “the voice of the people,” and he was right. The attack on the city of Palma on 24 March, with dozens of deaths, mass graves, beheaded heads and thousands of missing and displaced persons, is proof of this.
Mozambique, jihadist attack on the hotel: “There are foreigners, many dead and 180 hostages for three days”
by Raffaella Scuderi
Monsignor, who was threatening you? The extremists?
“No. The government. I first received threats of expulsion, then of confiscation of documents, and in the end of death ”.
How do you make sure it was the government?
“Maputo denied the war from the very beginning. When the conflict and the danger became evident, he forbade it from being talked about. It prevented reporters from doing their job. A reporter has been missing since April last year. He worked for a community radio and talked about the war. In his last message he said he had been surrounded by police. The Church was the only one that spoke about the situation. And the government was not doing well. Above all, he did not tolerate news from the state. National pride, business, When a year ago the bishops’ conference condemned what was happening in a document, the authorities reacted badly by starting to throw mud on me ”.
Why is Maputo downplaying the presence of extremism?
“They don’t want the country to be spoken of badly. We have appealed for the government to ask the international community for help. Alone he can’t do it. And we are seeing it. Our appeal reached the European Parliament, and two committees asked me to explain the situation ”.
What did the Pope tell you?
“After his visit to Mozambique, Pope Francis has always followed the situation in Cabo Delgado. In August last year he called me to tell me that he was very close to us, that he was praying for us and that he wanted to give us his blessing. Thanks to his intervention, the war has become internationalized. After his words, many people began to take an interest in war. In December he donated 100,000 euros for the construction of hospitals and for the displaced ”.
Did you feel it after the death threats?
“On 18 December I met him in the Vatican. He wanted to know what the situation was like. He evidently had more information than I did. He knew I was taking risks and offered me to move to Brazil ”.
What’s happening in Cabo Delgado?
“Resources, multinationals and wars. Three things that you always find together. The situation is getting worse fast. I am in contact with many people from the diocese of Pemba and Palma (site of the attack on March 24, ed). Many people are still hiding in the bush. Others managed to arrive in another city, Nangade. There are many old people, children and people who don’t know how to survive. They told me that the contractor helicopters dropped bombs hitting terrorists, but also civilians ”.
He lived for many years in Mozambique. Where does this extremist violence originate?
“Mozambique is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. And the Northern region is the poorest. In the last year I have witnessed a reversal of public policy, no longer worried about the population: health, education. Poor, unemployed, sick and illiterate people. Young people do not have a future because they cannot study: there is no secondary school. A poor and abandoned province, even if it is rich. The ideal situation for war: poverty, many resources and ethnic issues. All important elements for a conflict ”.
What did you do?
“Several years ago we warned the local and central government that there were groups that disrespect Muslim leaders. The government has not paid due attention. And these individuals have grown and become stronger and stronger. Until the revolt of 2017 “.
Whether or not they are sponsored by ISIS remains a mystery. Analysts claim that the Caliphate’s claim is a fake. What is your opinion?
“Extremists use the name of the Islamic state. But this is not a religious war. If it had been, they would have attacked us. But they attack everyone, and destroy both churches and mosques. They kill Christian and Muslim leaders. This is an economic war to appropriate natural resources: liquid gas, gold, rubies, semiprecious stones. At the moment there are more than 700,000 displaced persons and more than 2,000 dead ”.
How does the population live? There are those who say they did not resist the assault.
“There is a total lack of respect for human rights. From both the terrorists and the government. The population is afraid of both. Extremists stole army uniforms, weapons and food. They present themselves as military. For the people it is a terrible situation. They see the army and for them they are terrorists. Military forces somehow abuse people. But even the soldiers are victims, because they are in a war they don’t want to be in ”.
They recently discovered a liquid gas field. Billions of dollars have been invested in Cabo Delgado. There are the French, the Americans and the Italians. What does it entail?
“The relationship between multinationals and the region is not good. The way these big companies do things is not good. There are laws that tell you how to take steps: consultations with the population, participation in the discussion. But they don’t. And the people have to leave their lands. This creates discontent ”.
Were you never afraid?
“No. I never stopped talking. The Church is the voice of the voiceless. How could I shut up? “
Do you miss Mozambique?
“I would have stayed. I miss him so much. Every day I ask for information and hear from friends and missionaries. And even from here I always try to understand how to help that country. I asked all the missionaries in the region to leave Palma immediately ”.
What do you carry in the heart of those 20 years?
“The most beautiful thing was seeing those poor people welcome other poor people into their homes. They also took two or three families, having almost nothing, no space, no food. This I will never forget. They are an example of human sharing ”.
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