Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi today asked his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, that Portugal continue to support the African country against the “terrorism” plaguing the province of Cabo Delgado.
“We updated [Portugal’s head of state] on the fight we are making against terrorism, because Portugal is making its maximum contribution, through the European Union,” said Filipe Nyusi, speaking to journalists.
Nyusi was speaking in Lisbon during a short stopover in the Portuguese capital on his way to Rome, where he will take part in the Italy-Africa Summit.
The Mozambican head of state said that he encouraged his Portuguese counterpart to ensure that Portugal maintains the “spirit” of aid in the fight against the armed groups that have been operating in northern Mozambique for more than six years.
Portugal has “instructors and trainers” involved in training the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces and “we encourage them to continue in this spirit,” added Filipe Nyusi.
The two presidents also discussed the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars in Palestine.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, which has led to a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas projects.
The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
Lusa
