Mozambican and Rwandan forces drive terrorists out of Pundanhar – AIM report

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Mozambican and Rwandan forces drive terrorists out of Pundanhar – AIM report

9:25 CAT | 10 Feb 2022

FILE PHOTO - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: DW]

The Mozambican defence and security forces, and their Rwandan allies, on Monday and Tuesday carried out operations to secure the areas of Nica de Rovuma and Pundanhar, in Palma district, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

According to a statement from the Rwandan Defence Ministry, cited in Wednesday’s issue of the Rwandan daily “New Times”, these areas were recently occupied by islamist terrorists “as temporary hideouts, as they sought to undertake operations to retake territories lost during the initial offensive by the joint forces conducted last year”. Pundanhar is about 55 kilometres from the district capital, Palma town.

Read: Media Release: Mozambican and Rwandan forces conduct operations in Pundanhar and Nhica do Rovuma, west of Palma district

The Rwandan statement added that the mission in Mozambique of SADC (Southern African Development Community) “were also alerted for support in blocking the enemy fleeing towards their area of responsibility”.

The Rwandan Joint Task Force commander, Maj-Gen Inocencio Kabandana, visited the troops in Pundanhar shortly after the area had been secured. He congratulated them and, according to the paper, “emphasised the need to maintain vigilance, discipline and a high level of force protection in order to successfully accomplish their mission with minimal casualties”.

Yesterday, the joint force took Sheik Munir base in #Pundanhar.

An unidentified Kenyan was captured on the border between #CaboDelgado and #Tanzania as he tried to flee after the base was taken.

Terrorists from #Congo, Tanzania, #Kenya and #Somalia were captured since January. https://t.co/R6D0oxhcE4

— Cabo Delgado (@DelgadoCabo) February 11, 2022

On 24 March last year, the terrorists seized Palma town, displacing many thousands of its inhabitants. The Afungi Peninsula, in Palma district, is the site of a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) project run by a consortium headed by the French company TotalEnergies.

In the wake of the terrorist attack, TotalEnergies withdrew all its staff, but promised to resume work on the LNG project once “sustainable security” had been restored to Palma.

About 40,000 people returned to Palma town, once it had been retaken by the Mozambican and Rwandan forces. Many others have yet to return to other parts of the district.

“New Times” notes that last year, after the successes of the Mozambican and Rwandan forces in Palma and the neighbouring district of Mocimboa da Praia, the jihadists fled southwards and crossed the Messalo river into Macomia district, which is in the designated sector of responsibility for the SADC forces.

The report adds that the Rwandan forces are now engaged in “stabilization operations” alongside the Mozambican armed forces (FADM), including bring displaced people back to their home areas so that they can resume their normal productive activities.

Source: AIM