(3 minutes read)
· The European Union is in the process of establishing a military mission for Mozambique to train its armed forces battling IS-linked jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado Province
· The insurgency by militant group has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017
· Portugal, the ex-colonizer, has been training Mozambican troops to equip them to fight against the militants
· The new mission will be headed by a Portuguese commander and most of the additional forces are going to come from Lisbon
The European Union is in the process of establishing a military mission for Mozambique to train its armed forces battling IS-linked jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado Province. The insurgency by militant groups has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017. It also caused a heavy toll on human lives. Approximately 3,000 lives were lost in the bloody fights and displacing thousands of people.
Portugal, the ex-colonizer, has been training Mozambican troops to equip them to fight against the militants. The new mission will be headed by a Portuguese commander and most of the additional forces are going to come from Lisbon. Civilian population is most affected by the militant activities and the training modules include how to protect the civilians in the oil rich region. The mission will operate for two years initially, which may be extended depending on the situation, says people who are aware of the situation.
Other countries including France, Italy, and Spain are also expected to provide personnel for the mission to crush the insurgency. Only last month, 16 southern African countries in the SADC bloc approved the deployment of forces at the request of Mozambique’s government. As a part of it, Rwanda deployed a joint contingent of 1,000 troops made out of members of the Rwanda Defence Force and National Police personnel in the province of Cabo Delgado. The EU is actively involved in training forces in Africa including in Mali, Central African Republic, and Somalia.
