EU training mission in Mozambique awaiting crisis approach policy document – Santos Silva

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EU training mission in Mozambique awaiting crisis approach policy document – Santos Silva

5:43 CAT | 04 Mar 2021

Photo: ARTV

Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, said on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) was preparing the “political document” framing the European mission to support the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique

“The External Action Service is working with the [European] Commission on the crisis approach policy document, which is essential for the training mission to be able to be carried out,” Santos Silva said during a foreign policy debate in the Portuguese parliament.

The minister, who in January led a political mission to Maputo as a delegate of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, explained that, in the meantime, humanitarian action and development support initiatives were already being implemented on the ground, citing a job creation project being managed by the Portuguese Cooperation.

Armed violence in Cabo Delgado, where Africa’s largest private multinational investment (natural gas) is developing, is causing a humanitarian crisis with more than two thousand deaths and 670 thousand displaced people, without housing or food, which prompted the Mozambican authorities to ask the EU for assistance.

In order to better determine the support framework to be provided to the Mozambican authorities, Josep Borrell asked the Portuguese Foreign Minister to travel to Maputo as his representative, which visit took place in January.

On his return, Santos Silva said that the support priorities identified jointly with the Mozambican authorities include strengthening cooperation between the EU and Mozambique in the areas of humanitarian action and development support projects, and a “significant increase ”in cooperation in the area of security.

In this latter regard, he explained at the time, “what is at stake is support for the formation and training of Mozambican military forces, so that they are better able to respond to the insurgency”, as well as logistical and equipment support.

Santos Silva said at the time that he expected the definition, in the following weeks, of a political framework for the strengthening of the cooperation between the EU and Mozambique.

The violence in Cabo Delgado emerged in 2017, with some of the raids claimed by the ‘jihadist’ Islamic State group after 2019, but the source of the attacks remains under debate.

Source: Lusa