China will support Mozambique in its efforts to combat terrorism and drug trafficking, including by training military personnel, Mozambican President Felipe Nyusi told reporters before leaving Beijing for Vietnam.
Nyusi explained that the pledge of support came during bilateral meetings in which China also guaranteed continued assistance to the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces. Chinese military authorities are expected to disclose strategic details for training the Mozambican military, in such areas as maritime protection and combating drug trafficking, in the next few days.
Nyusi just wrapped a six-day working trip to China, which included the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China-Mozambique Business Forum and a private meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who personally invited his Mozambican counterpart for the visit.
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The new pledge from China focuses on the fight against the Islamist insurgency that has plagued the northern province of Cabo Delgado since October 2017. The violence has internally displaced 850,500 people, sent another 25,000 fleeing to other countries as refugees and killed or injured tens of thousands, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
Currently, Mozambique relies on the support of the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique, a multinational training and support effort that renewed its mission in May, extending it until June 2026. The country also counts on the support of forces from neighbouring Rwanda and Tanzania, the latter of which previously contributed troops to the Southern African Development Community Military Mission. The latter’s mandate expired in July, three years after it was first deployed.
The joint forces delivered a critical blow to the insurgency in June of this year, destroying practically all of the terrorists’ fixed bases. Yet the situation remains unresolved, as insurgents continue to lurk in the countryside, leading Nyusi to call on the public to increase vigilance. Additional support is key to keeping the situation under control and restoring stability to a part of Mozambique that has known precious little for the better part of a decade.
