This archive report was first published on 24 September 2021.
Published on September 24, 2021, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame arrived in Mozambique for a two-day state visit, marking a significant development in the region's efforts to combat terrorism.
The visit comes two-and-a-half months after Rwanda's deployment of a 1000-strong contingent, comprising the army and police, to Mozambique. This contingent recently launched offensive attacks against insurgents in Cabo Delgado province in the north-east of Mozambique.
Under a bilateral arrangement, Rwanda was the first to send troops to Mozambique in July. Botswana followed with a contingent of 296, and South Africa deployed 1,500 soldiers. Despite initial opposition to the deployment by some members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), both Presidents Nyusi and Kagame have defended the move.
They argued that it was necessary to counter the rising threat of terrorism and insecurity after the insurgents linked to the Islamic State (IS) group had taken control of most of the five districts in Cabo Delgado in four years since 2017.
President Kagame has defended the deployment, stating that Rwanda is footing the bill for now, and the troops will stay on to train the Mozambican army. He added that the nature of the threat is regional, given that the insurgents include individuals from various countries, including Mozambicans, Tanzanians, Ugandans, Kenyans, Somalis, Yemenis, Congolese, and Rwandans.
“There is nobody who sponsored us for this… Our Minister of Finance knows how much we have been draining into this, but I think the outcome and cause are much bigger than the money we have spent. Maybe we will work with the Mozambican government to fill the gaps that have been created,” President Kagame said during a press briefing on national television – Rwanda Broadcasting Agency.
President Kagame's visit to Mozambique comes after his country's Defence Force Army Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Mubarakh Muganga, commended his forces deployed in Cabo Delgado for “the good work done since their arrival in Mozambique”.
Additionally, the US Government and the Government of Mozambique concluded the second Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) of the year, with representatives from the US Embassy in Mozambique, the US Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA), and the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM) in attendance.
