Strategically located in southern Africa, near Zimbabwe and South Africa, Mozambique has been slow to recover from a terrible civil war that dominated the country from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The conflict was entangled in the Cold War of the time, as Mozambique allied itself with the Soviet Union and supported rebels fighting pro-Western governments in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa. In turn, the two neighboring countries aided a ruthless rebel movement (RENAMO) that sought to topple the Mozambique government. During the Reagan years, hardliners in Washington argued for American support of RENAMO despite its ghastly attacks on civilians. The US ultimately did not provide aid to RENAMO, thanks to the State Department’s insistence on not siding with the maligned guerrillas. The US did lend its weight to helping broker peace talks between the warring sides in Mozambique, and following the end of the civil war, American assistance grew to support economic and humanitarian efforts. This decade the Bush administration has sought to help Mozambique deal with the AIDS crisis, which has ravaged the country. However, the US program (PEPFAR) does not allow Mozambique to buy low-cost generic drugs not approved by US regulators, leaving local officials only with the option of buying name-brand pharmaceuticals—which the country cannot afford. Today, Mozambique is plagued with malaria which devastates its population growth. Mozambique is ranked 172 of 182 for human development according to the United Nations’2009 Human Development Index.
Lay of the Land: Mozambique lies on the southeast coast of Africa between Tanzania to the north and South Africa and Swaziland to the south. The Mozambique Channel laps against its 1,600 mile coastline. Coastal lowlands rise to a high interior plateau. The western borders are home to the Bvumba Mountains and Eastern Highlands Mountain Range.
Mozambique’s early history saw the region inhabited by the Bushmenoide Hunters, who were forced to emigrate by the Bantu peoples. The Bantu established kingdoms throughout East Africa and began to trade with Arabs, Persians, and Asians around 1000 AD.
On November 8, 1975, the US opened an Embassy in Maputo. The first American ambassador arrived in Mozambique in March 1976. That year, the US provided a $10 million grant to the government to compensate for the economic costs of sanctioning Rhodesia. The US changed its policy in 1977 due to human rights violations. Congress stated that developmental aid could only be given if it benefited US interests.
US-Mozambique relations are described as “excellent” by William R. Steiger, a former US ambassador to Mozambique. The US government continues its USAID program and has made the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis one of the top priorities in the nation.
In 2009, US exports to Mozambique totaled $189.8 million, while imports amounted in $38.8 million. The total exports of petroleum products increased from $19.7 million to $31.55 million, while wheat exports increased from $12.6 million and $31.6 million between 2006 and 2009.
US AIDS Relief Program Ties Hands of Mozambique Officials
According to the US State Department, “Incidents of serious human rights abuses, including vigilante killings, occurred during the year. Security forces continued to commit unlawful killings although the government took steps to prosecute perpetrators. Prison conditions remained harsh and life-threatening, resulting in several deaths. Arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as lengthy pretrial detention, were problems. An understaffed and inadequately trained judiciary was inefficient and influenced by the ruling party. Political and judicial decisions involving independent media outlets constrained press freedom. Societal problems including domestic violence, discrimination against women, abuse, exploitation, forced labor of children, trafficking in women and children, and discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS remained widespread.”
William A. De Pree
Appointment: Feb 4, 1976
Presentation of Credentials: Apr 16, 1976
Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 7, 1980
On November 4, 2009, Amélia Matos Sumbana became the Ambassador of Mozambique to the United States.
An experienced diplomat who has served there before and speaks the Portuguese language was nominated by President Obama on March 29, 2012, to be the next ambassador to the southern African nation of Mozambique. Born circa 1964, Douglas M. Griffiths earned a B.A. in Government at Notre Dame University in 1986 and a Masters in Public Policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.
Griffiths joined the Foreign Service in 1988 and served early career foreign postings in Québec City, Canada; Lisbon, Portugal; and Maputo, Mozambique; before returning to Washington, D.C. After completing the State Department economic course, Griffiths served on the South Africa desk during that country’s transition to democracy. Griffiths made use of his economic education, serving as first secretary for economic affairs at the embassy in Rabat, Morocco, from 1996 to 1999, and as counselor for International Economic Affairs at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2000 to 2004. He was then deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires ad interim at the embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 2004 to 2006, which included the difficult period after the coup against the popularly elected President, Jean-Bertrande Aristide.
From 2006 to 2009, he was the principal officer at the consulate general in Guayaquil, Ecuador, also during a tense period after Ecuador and the U.S. expelled one another’s ambassadors. Since 2009, Griffiths has been deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Griffiths is married and has two children. He speaks French, Portuguese and Spanish.
-Matt Bewig
Green Diplomacy on Display at U.S. Mission (by James Kanter, New York Times)
moreStrategically located in southern Africa, near Zimbabwe and South Africa, Mozambique has been slow to recover from a terrible civil war that dominated the country from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The conflict was entangled in the Cold War of the time, as Mozambique allied itself with the Soviet Union and supported rebels fighting pro-Western governments in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa. In turn, the two neighboring countries aided a ruthless rebel movement (RENAMO) that sought to topple the Mozambique government. During the Reagan years, hardliners in Washington argued for American support of RENAMO despite its ghastly attacks on civilians. The US ultimately did not provide aid to RENAMO, thanks to the State Department’s insistence on not siding with the maligned guerrillas. The US did lend its weight to helping broker peace talks between the warring sides in Mozambique, and following the end of the civil war, American assistance grew to support economic and humanitarian efforts. This decade the Bush administration has sought to help Mozambique deal with the AIDS crisis, which has ravaged the country. However, the US program (PEPFAR) does not allow Mozambique to buy low-cost generic drugs not approved by US regulators, leaving local officials only with the option of buying name-brand pharmaceuticals—which the country cannot afford. Today, Mozambique is plagued with malaria which devastates its population growth. Mozambique is ranked 172 of 182 for human development according to the United Nations’2009 Human Development Index.
Lay of the Land: Mozambique lies on the southeast coast of Africa between Tanzania to the north and South Africa and Swaziland to the south. The Mozambique Channel laps against its 1,600 mile coastline. Coastal lowlands rise to a high interior plateau. The western borders are home to the Bvumba Mountains and Eastern Highlands Mountain Range.
Mozambique’s early history saw the region inhabited by the Bushmenoide Hunters, who were forced to emigrate by the Bantu peoples. The Bantu established kingdoms throughout East Africa and began to trade with Arabs, Persians, and Asians around 1000 AD.
On November 8, 1975, the US opened an Embassy in Maputo. The first American ambassador arrived in Mozambique in March 1976. That year, the US provided a $10 million grant to the government to compensate for the economic costs of sanctioning Rhodesia. The US changed its policy in 1977 due to human rights violations. Congress stated that developmental aid could only be given if it benefited US interests.
US-Mozambique relations are described as “excellent” by William R. Steiger, a former US ambassador to Mozambique. The US government continues its USAID program and has made the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis one of the top priorities in the nation.
In 2009, US exports to Mozambique totaled $189.8 million, while imports amounted in $38.8 million. The total exports of petroleum products increased from $19.7 million to $31.55 million, while wheat exports increased from $12.6 million and $31.6 million between 2006 and 2009.
US AIDS Relief Program Ties Hands of Mozambique Officials
According to the US State Department, “Incidents of serious human rights abuses, including vigilante killings, occurred during the year. Security forces continued to commit unlawful killings although the government took steps to prosecute perpetrators. Prison conditions remained harsh and life-threatening, resulting in several deaths. Arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as lengthy pretrial detention, were problems. An understaffed and inadequately trained judiciary was inefficient and influenced by the ruling party. Political and judicial decisions involving independent media outlets constrained press freedom. Societal problems including domestic violence, discrimination against women, abuse, exploitation, forced labor of children, trafficking in women and children, and discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS remained widespread.”
William A. De Pree
Appointment: Feb 4, 1976
Presentation of Credentials: Apr 16, 1976
Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 7, 1980
On November 4, 2009, Amélia Matos Sumbana became the Ambassador of Mozambique to the United States.
An experienced diplomat who has served there before and speaks the Portuguese language was nominated by President Obama on March 29, 2012, to be the next ambassador to the southern African nation of Mozambique. Born circa 1964, Douglas M. Griffiths earned a B.A. in Government at Notre Dame University in 1986 and a Masters in Public Policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.
Griffiths joined the Foreign Service in 1988 and served early career foreign postings in Québec City, Canada; Lisbon, Portugal; and Maputo, Mozambique; before returning to Washington, D.C. After completing the State Department economic course, Griffiths served on the South Africa desk during that country’s transition to democracy. Griffiths made use of his economic education, serving as first secretary for economic affairs at the embassy in Rabat, Morocco, from 1996 to 1999, and as counselor for International Economic Affairs at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2000 to 2004. He was then deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires ad interim at the embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 2004 to 2006, which included the difficult period after the coup against the popularly elected President, Jean-Bertrande Aristide.
From 2006 to 2009, he was the principal officer at the consulate general in Guayaquil, Ecuador, also during a tense period after Ecuador and the U.S. expelled one another’s ambassadors. Since 2009, Griffiths has been deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Griffiths is married and has two children. He speaks French, Portuguese and Spanish.
-Matt Bewig
Green Diplomacy on Display at U.S. Mission (by James Kanter, New York Times)
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