Media Statement by: Stevens Mokgalapa, BOSA International Relations Spokesperson Friday 22 August 2025
Build One South Africa (BOSA) expresses concern over credible reports of North Korea’s illicit activities in Mozambique, which directly undermine African sovereignty, human rights, and international law.
North Korea has long been recognised as a rogue regime that disregards the dignity and rights of its own people. Today, that same disregard is being exported to Africa through covert operations that violate international law, erode regional stability, and exploit African nations for Pyongyang’s own ends.
According to UN Security Council Resolution 2397, North Korea has been prohibited from deploying its citizens abroad to generate revenue for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme. Yet reports confirm that Pyongyang continues to illegally deploy medical personnel to Mozambique and engage in illicit trade, including the smuggling of rhino horns and other contraband.
These actions not only violate UN sanctions but also facilitate organised crime networks and the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources.
Africa cannot and must not become a playground for authoritarian regimes that treat our people and our resources as tools to fund weapons of mass destruction.
Mozambique, like all African states, has a duty to uphold its international obligations and to protect its sovereignty from foreign regimes that undermine the rule of law and human rights.
BOSA calls on:
- The South African government to raise this matter within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), ensuring a coordinated African response that puts Africa’s security and sovereignty first.
- The AU and SADC to demand full compliance with UN resolutions and to hold accountable any state that facilitates North Korea’s illegal networks on African soil.
- The international community to support African nations in resisting infiltration by rogue regimes and to prioritise human rights and environmental protections in enforcement of sanctions.
Africa’s resources belong to her people. They must never be siphoned off to fund nuclear proliferation or sustain regimes that trample human dignity. This is a matter of African sovereignty, human rights, and the future of our continent.
Media Enquiries: Roger Solomons – BOSA Spokesperson – 072 299 3551