Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned that Mozambique is among the countries likely to be hit by rising food prices caused by the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

Food prices are likely to rise sharply due to reduced fertilizer availability. Normally, Mozambique imports fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz – but that waterway is under Iranian control and the Iranians do not allow most shipping to pass through.

According to UNCTAD, in a document titled “Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz: Implications for global trade and development”, rising food prices will also contribute to the general cost of living.

“The interruption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz could worsen access to fertilizers for some of the poorest countries”, the document reads.

The note highlights that, in 2024 alone, the country imported 22 percent of its fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The escalation of the conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz region is increasingly reflected in fertilizer markets, linking disruptions in energy and maritime transport to agricultural markets, future food supplies and trade”, reads the UNCTAD document.

The organization warns that increases in energy, fertilizer and transport costs – including freight – could increase food prices and intensify pressure on the cost of living, especially for the most vulnerable countries.

“When oil prices rise, food prices tend to rise accordingly, and when gas prices rise, fertilizer prices often rise,” the organization states.

“The effects are already visible. The prices of nitrogen-based fertilizers have increased significantly, with smaller but noticeable increases in phosphate fertilizers,” the document adds.

Fertilizer trade, the note says, is highly concentrated, increasing exposure to disruptions.

“The region’s role goes beyond energy. It is also a major producer of essential inputs, such as sulfur, used in phosphate fertilizers, and a central hub for the global fertilizer trade. Around a third of global fertilizer volumes transported by sea pass through the Strait”, highlights the document.

According to UNCTAD, one third of the world’s maritime fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, totaling around 16 million tons of fertilizers imported by several Persian Gulf countries through this channel, of which 67 percent is urea, 20 percent diammonium phosphate, 9 percent monoammonium phosphate, and the remaining 4 percent other types of fertilizers.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is also the transport route for around 20% of the oil traded worldwide and a significant part of the liquefied natural gas transported by sea.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – Mozambican authorities seized a total of 4.4 tonnes of various illicit drugs in 2025.

According to the government spokesperson and Minister of State Administration, Inocêncio Impissa, citing the “Annual Report on the Evolution of Trafficking and Illicit Drug Consumption”, 617 individuals were detained during the operations. 604 of these people were Mozambican and 13 were foreigners.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), Impissa also said that the country’s health units treated, last year, 32,281 patients with mental and behavioral disorders associated with drug use.

This is an increase of 38 percent compared to 2024, when 23,412 cases of illicit drug use were recorded in the country’s health units.

“During the same period, authorities identified 5,134 drug users during visits to more than 4,500 psychosocial support centers,” he said.

As part of prevention efforts, he explained, around 60,000 lectures were held across the country on the risks of drug use, reaching more than 2.7 million people, which represents an increase of 49 percent compared to the previous year.

The Annual Report on the “Evolution of Trafficking and Illicit Drug Consumption” will subsequently be submitted to the Assembly of the Republic, the country’s Parliament, for consideration.
(AIM)
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Maputo 1 Apr (AIM) – 40 of the 42 Nigerian citizens who were detained in Mozambique weeks ago were deported to their country of origin.

The individuals had been detained by the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) as part of an operation that aimed to dismantle a network selling stolen vehicle parts.

SERNIC further alleged that the Nigerian citizens were detained because they were in the country illegally.

The NGO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) confirmed the deportation of 40 citizens, while two others remain in Mozambique.

According to NIDCOM spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman, the citizens in question arrived in Nigeria in three batches of 13, 16 and 11 respectively.

NIDCOM alleges that the deportation did not follow due process as “their human rights were violated after they were randomly arrested, detained and deported despite having adequate documentation.”

According to the organization, some of the deportees who were received by NIDCOM staff in Lagos alleged that their money and other valuables were stolen from them while they were detained.

“Things were taken from them and were not returned to them at the time of deportation. Huge sums were also taken from their mobile applications. It is sad that while all this was happening, the Mozambican authorities did not contact the Nigerian Embassy, ​​while all embassy emissaries were turned away,” said a NIDCOM spokesperson.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 1 Apr (AIM) – The Japanese government has committed to disbursing US$1.4 million to support health facilities in the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique.

The project, which will be implemented by United Nations agencies, is expected to benefit more than 500,000 people in health units who will receive financial assistance.

According to Japanese Ambassador Keiji Hamada, speaking during the launch of the project, the initiative will be expanded to cover women’s empowerment, water supply, sanitation and hygiene. It will also cover communities affected by crises, especially those affected by Islamic terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

The diplomat explained that one of the initiatives aims to strengthen the emergency response capacity of the health system in Cabo Delgado.

According to Hamada, the project will be implemented in the districts of Balama, Meluco and Pemba, capital of the province, in close coordination with the Government and United Nations agencies.

The intervention includes the delivery of three ambulances and the training of professionals, including drivers and nurses, to ensure the effective use of these resources in the health system.

“Patients who currently face great difficulties in accessing emergency care will have faster and safer access to health services,” he explained.

For her part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mozambique, Catherine Sozi, highlighted Japan’s continued support for the organization’s initiatives.

“The direct beneficiaries will be approximately 2,900 women and girls, while approximately 16,000 community members are expected to benefit indirectly,” she said.

“The aim of our project is to protect and empower women and girls affected by the crisis by restoring livelihoods, reducing protection risks and strengthening women’s leadership in humanitarian response and recovery,” he added.

The program includes distributing emergency non-food items, supporting livelihoods, promoting menstrual dignity and strengthening the participation of local women’s organizations.

“We want to see more women-led organizations actively participating in the humanitarian response,” she said.

The head of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD), Luísa Meque, considered Japan’s support a significant gesture of solidarity.

“These projects will contribute significantly to meeting the immediate needs of those affected,” she said.

Meque recalled that since the beginning of the 2025-2026 rainy season, floods and cyclones have affected more than a million people, causing 306 deaths and 351 injuries.

“Japan has been an important partner for Mozambique in risk management, supporting the training of national personnel and flood risk reduction projects,” she said.
(AIM)
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Maputo, 31 Mar (AIM) – The Ministry of Justice of Mozambique launched a campaign for Free Birth Registration with the aim of promoting citizens’ access to civil identification.

The project, which is expected to cover around 7 million people, will register 25 thousand citizens per day.

The campaign, scheduled to run from March 23rd to December 31st, will be carried out by up to 500 mobile brigades, which will travel to communities to register births and issue identification documents.

According to the Minister of Justice, Mateus Saize, cited in a statement addressed to the civil registry offices, the measure aims to respond to the “critical deficit in birth registration and the high number of citizens without legal identification in the country”.

“The brigades will operate in districts, administrative posts and localities, aiming to reach citizens who, for various reasons, do not have access to formal services. The initiative aims to invert the traditional model, taking services directly to the population”, the note reads.

The technical teams include employees from the Ministry of Justice, responsible for civil registration and issuing birth certificates, and agents from the Ministry of the Interior, who will simultaneously issue Identity Cards.

All services provided within the scope of this campaign will be free. “The civil registry offices were instructed to ensure the free registration of all requests submitted during the period in which the measure was in force”, the document reads.

The operation costs will be financed by the EDGE Mozambique Project, which is a Digital Governance initiative financed by the World Bank, focused on digital identification, public services and the digital economy.

This could be a step towards ending the absurd situation in which identity cards are, in theory, mandatory, but a large number of citizens do not have them.
(AIM)
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