Mozambique: Ireland can train military, supply assets to Cabo Delgado –Micheal Martin

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Mozambique: Ireland can train military, supply assets to Cabo Delgado –Micheal Martin

9:05 CAT | 20 Jul 2023

Photo: Embassy of Ireland Mozambique

Irish Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Micheal Martin on Wednesday conveyed Ireland’s willingness to support the training of Mozambican military personnel and to provide non-lethal material for the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

“Ireland is committed to supporting Mozambique in terms of military training for the protection of civilians and providing support for that, particularly non-lethal,” said Micheal Martin, speaking to journalists after being received in Maputo by Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi.

The Irish leader is in Mozambique to visit projects funded by Ireland in the provinces of Inhambane (since 1996) and Niassa, currently with 27 million euros per year, namely in the population’s access to water.

Micheal Martin praised the conduct and conclusion, last June, of the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) process agreed between the government of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) and the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), which also has financial and technical support from the Irish government.

“Given our own experience in Ireland – we celebrate 25 years of the peace process in Northern Ireland this year – we understand that experience and pay tribute to the president for his work,” he said, adding that Ireland intends to continue to support this process in the future.

On 15 June, the last base of the armed wing of the main opposition party was closed in Vunduzi, an administrative post in the Gorongosa district of central Sofala province. The base closed 30 years and eight months after the end of the Mozambican civil war and the ceremony marked the end of the demobilisation process for 5,221 Renamo guerrillas who remained at the bases in remote areas and who began handing in their weapons in 2019.

After Maputo, Micheal Martin heads to Inhambane to visit Irish-funded cooperation projects in that province.

“Ireland has a long-standing partnership and relationship with the authorities in Inhambane and also in Niassa. And we work on water projects and food production systems, fisheries and aquaculture, ecotourism and agriculture. And I am going to visit today to see first-hand the impact of these programmes on the people of Inhambane,” he assured.

He added that vocational training is another sector where Ireland is available to support Mozambique.

“We discussed education and the importance of training young people, especially for the world of work. Ireland is 100 years old and throughout our history we have had challenges in terms of employment. Now we are in a good position, but it is because in previous decades we have invested in education and training and we have discussed this with the president, who is very concerned about the issue”, concluded Micheal Martin.

Source: Lusa