Portugal’s defence minister, Helena Carreiras, on Monday in Maputo defended the continuity of the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ), considering it essential to consolidate the work already done.
“We continue to share the idea that there should be continuity in this mission, which is now being re-evaluated (…) We have already been working with our partners, sharing what is also Mozambique’s position, in the sense that this mission should continue, whether in this form or in a revised form,” said Helena Carreiras, on the sidelines of a meeting with Mozambique’s defence minister, Cristóvão Chume, as part of her working visit to Mozambique.
With a two-year mandate starting in September 2022, EUTM-MOZ will assess the future of its presence in Mozambique with the Mozambican authorities by the end of this year. It has already trained around 60 Mozambican instructors who will continue training special forces, especially for soldiers on the front line fighting rebels in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.
As well as providing operational training for the rapid reaction forces (QRF), EUTM-MOZ has also supplied combat equipment to the members of these units, with the value of the material support already exceeding €80 million.
“But the most important thing is that we all understand and believe that (…) we need to capitalise on and take advantage of the effort that has already been invested in training 11 companies, expanding this work in the area of consolidating and maintaining this operational cycle, both from the point of view of training and the equipment itself,” said Helena Carreiras.
EUTM-MOZ’s mandate provided for the training of 11 Mozambican QRF units, each with a composition equivalent to a military company.
The current mission is made up of a contingent of 117 people, 65 of whom are from Portugal, the country that has also taken over command of EUTM-MOZ.
“We will continue to support the prospect of a renewal or review of this mission in order to capitalise on the work that has been done,” she said.
According to the Mozambican defence minister, the situation on the ground shows progress, with government forces in control of the areas most affected by rebel attacks in Cabo Delgado.
“For us, the barometer of stability in Cabo Delgado is the number of people who are returning to their areas of origin (…),” said Cristóvão Chume, also highlighting Portugal’s openness when Mozambique asked for international support.
“We reiterate our gratitude for the international effort that has been made to support Mozambique in the fight against terrorism (…) Portugal was one of the first countries to appear on the ground when Mozambique asked for international support and began training the marines and commandos,” said Chume.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State and its affiliates.
The insurgency has led to a military response, supported since July 2021 by Rwanda and the SADC, which has made it possible to liberate districts near the gas projects, while new waves of attacks have emerged in the south of the region and in neighbouring Nampula province.
The conflict has already displaced a 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
