Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bipartisan resolution addressing the situation in Mozambique authored by Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53). The resolution, H.Res. 720, was passed unanimously via voice vote.

On Monday, Jacobs introduced H. Res 720 condemning the recent rise in violence in Mozambique and calling for peace and stability in the country. The Jacobs resolution states that the United States and other donor governments should coordinate their assistance efforts and calls for a new approach to address the conflict in a comprehensive manner.

The resolution also stresses the importance of humanitarian organizations having access to the country, for U.S. and international aid to be distributed equitably by the Mozambican government, and calls on the Mozambican government to work to address local grievances in and around Cabo Delgado. (Full H.Res. 720 text available here.)

Watch video of Congresswoman Jacobs’ remarks in committee here. 

Congresswoman Jacobs’ remarks were as follows:

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you for supporting my resolution calling for stability and the cessation of violence in northern Mozambique. My team and I actually did some research and found out that this is the first time the committee has marked up legislation on Mozambique since the year 2000 – which just so happened to be your resolution, Mr. Chair. So, I am proud we are shining a light on the situation in the country today.

I also want to thank Chairwoman Bass and Congresswoman Kim for partnering with me. This bipartisan resolution not only condemns the violence perpetrated by ISIS-Mozambique against civilians and children, but also calls attention to the underlying grievances fueling violent extremism in northern Mozambique, including human rights violations by security forces, state corruption, and historical socio-economic marginalization in Cabo Delgado. It urges the Government of Mozambique to address the conflict and restore security in a manner that respects civilians and human rights, and encourages donor governments to consider this in their support as well.

We need to make sure our approach and the international community’s approach is not just through a counterterrorism lens, but is actually taking a comprehensive approach to address the conflict. And this resolution calls on us to do just that. If we are serious about calling for an end to this violence, we need to get serious about the factors that are driving it. I am proud to lead this important resolution today, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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