Mozambique: Saudi Arabia to help in combat against insurgents in Cabo Delgado – Lusa report

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Mozambique: Saudi Arabia to help in combat against insurgents in Cabo Delgado – Lusa report

8:13 CAT | 21 May 2021

Image Saudi News Agency

Saudi Arabia has announced its support in combating armed attacks in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, which have led to the deaths of more than 2,500 people since 2017.

“We are working with our partners in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, especially South Africa, to support Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces to combat extremist groups,” Mohamed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, was quoted as saying by private channel STV.

The prince was speaking on Wednesday during the closing of the Summit on Financing African Economies, held in the French capital, Paris.

According to Mohammed, the support, which is part of the SADC initiatives, consists of building the capacity of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces, with a view to “maintaining security, stability and economic development in the country.

Also read: Saudi Arabia grants $1bn to help African countries fight Covid-19

Armed groups have terrorised Cabo Delgado since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the ‘jihadist’ group Islamic State, in a wave of violence that has led to more than 2,500 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and 714,000 displaced people, according to the Mozambican government.

The most recent incursion by these groups occurred on 24 March in Palma, almost six kilometres from the gas project under construction, causing dozens of deaths and injuries, with no official assessment announced.

The Mozambican authorities announced they were controlling the town, but the attack led oil company Total to abandon the site of the project which was due to start production in 2024 and on which many of Mozambique’s economic growth expectations for the next decade are anchored.

Source: Lusa