Mozambique’s armed forces, mainly thanks to the support of the Rwandan military mission, which was deployed in the country in July to help shift the balance of power to the jihadists who are ravaging the northeastern part of the country, recaptured the strategic port of Mozambique yesterday. da Praia, who for the past year has been in the hands of militants who are generally known in the area as “Shebab” (“the youth”, in Arabic) and swear allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).
Mossiboa da Praia, a city and port that had become a “major hotbed of insurgency”, was recaptured “by Rwandan and Mozambican forces”, the first country’s armed forces initially announced via Twitter yesterday.
Colonel Ronald Rouwanga, a spokesman for the Rwandan Armed Forces, confirmed that Mossiboa da Praia had “fallen”.
The Mozambican Ministry of Defense then announced in turn that the forces of the country and Rwanda regained control of the city yesterday Sunday morning.
They now control government buildings, the port, the airport, the hospital and other key infrastructure, Colonel Omar Saranga, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said during a press conference in Maputo.
Mosiboa da Praia, in the northern province of Campos Delgado, was the target of the first jihadist attack in Mozambique in October 2017. It has been in their hands since 12 August 2020.
It had been turned into a de facto jihadist headquarters.
Mossiboa da Praia “was the last stronghold of the rebels” and its recapture “marks the end of the first phase of operations to suppress the uprising,” said Colonel Ruivanga. He spoke of heavy losses in the jihadist ranks, without giving a specific account of the victims.
The crisis in Mozambique has killed at least 3,100 people, most of them civilians, and displaced more than 800,000 people.
On March 24, a large-scale attack in the city of Palma, where a key port is located, alarmed the international community. The attack, one of the deadliest since jihadist action began in the province of Campos Delgado, halted a major project to develop 16.8 billion euros worth of gas fields, undertaken by the French company Total, a few kilometers from Palma.
POPULAR NEWS
- Eliud Kipchoge successfully defends his marathon medal
- Fierce clashes between cattle breeders and farmers with 22 dead and 18 injured
- 33-year-old woman ran away from home over brother’s sex demand
This is one of the largest liquefied natural gas projects in Africa.
At Maputo’s request, Rwanda announced on July 9 the deployment of about 1,000 troops to support the Mozambican armed forces, which was struggling to take control of the Delgado Plain.
The Rwandan military mission announced earlier this month that it had achieved its first successes after its development: it helped the Mozambican army retake Abbas, a village of strategic importance not far from Moshibo da Praia.
“We will continue operations to completely pacify the region” so that the displaced can “return to their homes” after Mozambican and Rwandan forces complete “stabilization operations”, according to a Mozambican defense ministry spokesman.
Mozambican President Filipe Nuzi, a former defense minister, had previously been reluctant to accept any foreign aid, insisting on defending Mozambique’s national sovereignty in 1975. But he finally asked the military Development of Southern Africa (KAMA).
Botswana – whose president, Mojuetsi Masisi, chairs the KAMA body in charge of defense and security – deployed 296 troops on July 26th.
South Africa, the region’s largest power bordering Mozambique, announced on July 28 that it was sending 1,495 troops. The next day, Zimbabwe announced that it intended to send 304 to train members of the Mozambican infantry.
Angola, for its part, announced on Friday (August 6th) that it would deploy 20 Air Force officers. Namibia has announced that it is contributing $ 400,000 to support operations against jihadists.
Mr Newzi, who currently holds the rotating presidency of KAMA, and Mr Masisi are expected to announce on Monday the launch of the SAMIM military mission at a ceremony in Pemba, the capital of Cambodia province. .
On July 12, the European Union announced that it had decided to deploy a military training mission to Mozambique.
Portugal is already contributing to the training of Mozambican soldiers. The Portuguese military is expected to make up almost half of the European mission. The United States has also pledged to support the Maputu government bilaterally.
Most Watched
