- A British journalist based in Mozambique for just more than six years has reflected on his deportation from the country amid ongoing conflict.
- He is the co-founder of a news site that provides independent news on Mozambique.
- The town of Palma was this week hit by a deadly assault, claimed by Isis militants.
British journalist Tom Bowker, who has had a base in Mozambique for six-and-a-half years, believes his reporting on the conflict in the country, and not bureaucracy, was behind his recent deportation and the decision to bar him for 10 years.
"The pressure started, I guess, around September. I was trying to renew my son's residency permit, for which I need a letter from a media regulator. They have always done it up until now - but this year, they said I failed to prove that Zitamar exists," he told News24 on Tuesday.
Bowker is the co-founder of Zitamar News, a source of "reliable and independent news on Mozambique".
Fast forward a few months, and he received a call from immigration for a meeting. He contacted his lawyer, who advised him that "it sounds like they are going to revoke your residency."
"I got nothing formal in writing, and I was told I had five days to leave the country with my wife and kids," he said.
Deutsche Welle reported that Zitamar News gained notoriety for its coverage of the insurgency attacks in Mozambique with its network of journalists reporting on the extent of the Islamist insurgency in the northern-most province.
Mozambique's northern-most province of Cabo Delgado has been in the spotlight following insurgency attacks that have left many people dead.
According to Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a senior researcher and project leader at the Institute of Security Studies, the Cabo Delgado crisis had "escalated dramatically since the beginning of 2020, with over 2 500 civilians killed and close to 700 000 people internally displaced".
When probed by News24 on whether he believed his deportation had links to his reporting on the current events unfolding in Mozambique, Bowker said: "I think it probably does.
"It probably does have something to do with that. It's not for a bureaucratic reason. I don't know for sure what the root is, but Zitamar News is consistent with reliable, accurate, and unbiased news.
"We are constantly challenging the government's ability to control the narrative. It's about the conflict, and the government has been sensitive about this conflict in ways that they haven't been about other things. Nothing explosive; it's the ongoing day-to-day reporting of attacks. They do not want that reality to be known."
Right, that's it then! Expelled from Mozambique and banned for 10 years. A politically motivated move, without legal foundation. Thanks to everyone who helped us fight it, and who made the last 6 years so wonderful. Até! pic.twitter.com/X8eEdVSgbA
— Tom Bowker (@TomBowk) February 16, 2021
The British journalist could not say if he was considering a return to Mozambique after 10 years."[It is] difficult to say what I will be doing in 10 years. I am not going to make any predictions about 10 years' time, but our lawyer is fighting the ruling.
"[But] nevertheless, I am planning for life outside of Mozambique."