The Minister of Defence, Cristóvão Chume, considered that operations with the support of foreign forces in Cabo Delgado have resulted in “remarkable progress” in the fight against terrorism in Mozambique.
“Since the deployment of the military mission of the Southern African Development Community (SAMIM) in 2021, the combined actions of this mission, in addition to those of the Armed Forces of Defence of Mozambique, have resulted in remarkable progress, also recognising, for this purpose, the support of the military personnel of Rwanda,” said Cristóvão Chume, in a speech quoted by Lusa.
Chume was speaking on Tuesday during a meeting on policy, defence and security of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Namibian capital, Windhoek.
While noting progress in combating rebel groups in northern Mozambique, the governor pointed to the need for “appropriate” measures to be taken, as the insurgents’ new strategies consist of splitting into small groups to continue carrying out armed attacks.
“The reinforced surveillance actions of the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique have not allowed the terrorists to expand into other regions of the country, and their pursuit and combat must be continued,” Chume said.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been plagued by a conflict since 2017 that is terrorising the population. Armed rebel groups have looted and massacred villages and towns across the province and a variety of attacks have been claimed by the ‘arm’ of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in that region.
The conflict has already caused more than 4000 deaths (data from The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and at least one million displaced people, according to an assessment made by the Mozambican authorities.
Since July 2022, a military offensive by Maputo, with support from Rwanda and later SADC, allowed for a climate of greater security in the region that had not been felt for years, and recovered localities that were controlled by the rebels, such as the town of Mocímboa da Praia, which had been occupied since 2020.
