A new contingent of Rwandan security forces and police will be deployed to the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado to support the fight against Islamist terrorists, reports Mozambican news agency AIM.
Major-general Wilson Gumisiriza, commander of the Motorised Infantry Division of the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF), said the mission was “based on the bilateral agreements between Rwanda and Mozambique” and “stresses the continuing partnership” between the two nations.
Financial backing comes from the European Union Council, which approved additional support of 20 million euros (US$20.76 million) in November for Rwandan forces aiding the anti-terrorism efforts in Mozambique.
The funds will go toward equipment and supplies needed to sustain the deployment. Joseph Borrell, then the high representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called the additional funds “a testimony of the EU’s support to African solutions for African problems” and an important part of the global fight against terrorism.
The insurgency in Cabo Delgado began in late 2017 as militant Islamists and jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state clashed with government forces. In the years since, nearly 6,000 people have been killed, including more than 2,400 civilians, according to the latest update from conflict observatory Cabo Ligado.
[See more: Mozambique inaugurates Daniel Chapo as its president amid ongoing protests]
Rwanda deployed its first contingent to the area in July 2021 at the request of Mozambican authorities and now has more than 2,000 troops and police in the country.
The new deployment comes in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on 27 January that killed at least seven people in the Ravia area of Meluco district. Within days, Mozambican forces announced a new joint operation with Rwandan forces to “identify and dismantle terrorist hideouts, in order to improve stability in the region.” The parameters of the operation include several villages and the dense Pundanhar woods, its namesake village having experienced a failed terrorist attack on 26 January.
The Palma District, where Pundanhar is located, has been a major focus of the Rwandan forces. TotalEnergies had planned to build a liquified natural gas (LNG) facility there as part of a US$20 billion project before insurgent attacks in April 2021 forced the French company to pause its work.
TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné met with the newly inaugurated Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, on Monday to discuss resuming the long-delayed project.
Security conditions in the district have improved considerably, but with terrorists still active along major roadways, the largest foreign investment project in sub-Saharan Africa remains on hold.
