The United States will invest US$2.3 million in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, over the next two years, including roads and bridges, the US embassy announced today, 16 March, in a statement.
The region has been affected by an armed insurgency for four and a half years.
“It means that the people of Cabo Delgado will have better access to essential supplies, be able to get their goods to market and travel more easily to safe areas,” said Martin McLaughlin, Country Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Mozambique.
The work will focus on the connection between the city of Montepuez and the town of Mueda, a “key travel and transport corridor for surrounding communities, especially residents displaced by terrorism and natural disasters,” it highlights.
USAID has signed an agreement with the Mozambican National Roads Administration (ANE) and the Roads Fund (FE) to build a bridge over the Mueda River, paving and “significant drainage improvements” to prevent erosion, the most common cause of road degradation.
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but, terrorised since 2017, by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
The conflict has led to more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 859,000 displaced people, according to authorities.
