Mozambique case study
This case study examines structural conditions that limit the scope for public oversight, and the continuities between colonial authorities and the post-liberation state as a key factor. The Frelimo (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique) government claims to have democratised and modernised the state, which it initiated in 1990 with the new Constitution and, consequently, the Peace Agreements with the former belligerent Renamo (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana). Notwithstanding these claims, the fears and continued distrust of Renamo’s return to arms and the armed attacks in Cabo Delgado by Islamic insurgents since 2017, have intensified the government’s commitment to transparent surveillance. These developments make it necessary to respond by defining an alternative vision of democratic oversight or supervision of the intelligence and surveillance services rooted in public accountability. The absence of such oversight mechanisms could be attributed, not only to the political culture of colonial control continuing into the post-colony, and heightened by military conflicts, but also to an institutional and legal model with its roots deep in colonialism, and which the government is still reluctant to restructure. This reluctance is an important factor in the maintenance of Frelimo as the only actor in the political system and national governance. The case study argues that an authoritarian political culture and the failure by civil society organisations to challenge the state on surveillance oversight practices limit the scope of public oversight. This case study contributes to understanding the historical conditions of-the political, institutional, legal, military system of the Mozambican state which result almost total absence of surveillance oversight mechanisms.
Newspaper articles
Ernesto Nhanale, ‘Registo biométrico de cartões SIM: que riscos para protecção de dados dos cidadãos e vigilância indevida?’ (Biometric registration of SIM cards: what risks for citizen data protection and undue surveillance?), Magazine Independente, 20 February 2024.
Policy briefs
Ernesto Nhanale, ‘Processo de legislação sobre Direitos Digitais, em Moçambique, deve garantir a protecção de dados, a privacidade e reduzir riscos de vigilância digital’ (Legislative process on digital rights in Mozambique must guarantee data protection, privacy and reduce risks of digital surveillance), Media Institute of Southern Africa Mozambique, November 2024