Mozambique: Government, opposition divided on situation in Cabo Delgado
File photo: Lusa
Mozambique’s Minister of Defence, Cristóvão Chume, has been invited to participate in a European Union (EU) meeting next week in Brussels, which will discuss issues related to the areas of defence and security.
The announcement was made by the EU ambassador in Maputo, Antonino Maggiore, on the sidelines of a partnership dialogue between the government and the European Union in Inhambane on Tuesday.
In Brussels, the Mozambican defence minister will be able to once again outline Mozambique’s main needs in the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, particularly with regard to access to military material, at a time when there is resistance from the EU against allocating lethal material to the country.
Meanwhile, Maggiore reiterated the EU’s guarantee to continue to support counter-terrorism actions, directing assistance to everyone involved, including the Defence and Security Forces of Mozambique, the Defence Forces of Rwanda, and SAMIM, the latter currently demobilising in Cabo Delgado.
Earlier this month, the EU Council announced the extension of its military training mission in Mozambique until June 30, 2026, with a planned budget of €14 million over the next two years.
Brussels also noted that, due to changing circumstances, it was “adapting the strategic objectives of the mission […] thus transitioning from a training model to one of assistance”, with advice and “specialised training” for the Rapid Reaction Forces (QRF) and the Armed Defence Forces of Mozambique (FADM).
In line with this strategic change, the EU will rename the mission the ‘EU Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique’ (EUMAM Mozambique), with effect from September 1, 2024.
The European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ) has so far trained just over 1,650 special forces soldiers, both marines and commandos.
The EUTM-MOZ training mission comprises 119 soldiers from 13 EU member states, more than half from Portugal, but has the particularity of integrating two other countries outside the EU – Serbia and Cabo Verde – which contribute one soldier each.
Via the European Peace Mechanism, the EU has supported the Mozambican armed forces with €89 million for the acquisition of non-lethal equipment for units trained by EUTM-MOZ.
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