Global Policy Forum

By Mary Massar

A large part of the infrastructure of Mozambique, painstakingly rebuilt after 16 years of civil war, has been swept away by the recent floods and cyclone winds. Along with the wholesale displacement of entire communities and the emotional trauma of its people, disease is sweeping the flood-drenched areas.

Now Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries, must again deal with the tremendous task of reconstruction, while paying off a current debt of $8.3 billion. This devastating situation has compelled the concerned international community to call for total cancellation of Mozambique's debt.

It bears repeating: Saving Mozambique means sending aid and canceling its debt to the industrialized world. One without the other will not be enough.

In response to the flood crisis, many Southern African countries and international organizations, as well the United States and a few industrialized countries in Europe, are now providing much needed food, blankets, and other emergency and medical supplies. Assistance must continue to save thousands of lives now threatened by cholera, malaria and other diseases caused by poor sanitation and health conditions.

There are still islands of people and whole communities isolated by waters that have moved inland over large portions of the country.

Of even greater significance than this immediate damage is the impact on Mozambique's long-term economic future. Mozambique must be relieved of crushing external debt for reconstruction and economic recovery to continue. Recovery work includes replacing roads and bridges in flood-affected areas, rebuilding and restoring housing destroyed by the cyclone, reestablishing micro- and medium-sized businesses, restoring other sectors of the country's economy, and locating and removing land mines uprooted by raging flood waters.

The American Friends Service Committee has been active in Mozambique since its independence from Portugal in 1975. We have seen, and reports from international agencies corroborate, that Mozambique made great strides before this recent disaster in developing its economy, despite the lengthy civil war that started in 1976. Enormous progress had also been made in locating thousands of land mines scattered throughout the country, one of the most heavily mined in the world - estimates of the number of mines range from 400,000 to 2 million. Hundreds of land mines have been dislodged, putting both victims and relief workers at risk, and even further taxing Mozambique's resources.

The AFSC unites with the public call of Methodist Bishop Bernardino Mandlate, of Mozambique, stating: "It is unthinkable that the country can continue to drain itself of the much needed resources at this point in time to service debt which we believe that morally and even financially has already been paid back." It is imperative that Mozambique's bilateral and multilateral debt be canceled.

If Mozambique's debt with international financial institutions were canceled, the country would save $1.4 million dollars per week in debt-servicing, according to the Africa Faith and Justice Network, a Washington-based policy institute.

The United Nations Development Program's 1997 report calls Mozambique the 10th-poorest country in the world, among the countries with the lowest per-capita income with 60 percent of the population in absolute poverty. In 1996, the government spent twice as much money making timely interest and principle payments on its debt as it spent on health and education. Yet one out of four children in Mozambique dies before reaching the age of 5 due to infectious disease.

Mozambique can recover from this disaster if other nations and institutions place emphasis not only on rectifying the effects of the recent cyclone and floods, but also on canceling the country's enormous external debt. Mozambique must be allowed to use its precious resources to benefit the people and government, not the bottom lines of the international financial community.

Mary Massaro is Africa region director of the American Friends Service Committee.

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