Mozambique: Support for the Local Force a “major priority” – President

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Mozambique: Support for the Local Force a “major priority” – President

1:58 CAT | 18 Jun 2025

Photo: Integrity

The Mozambican president has said that support for the Local Force is a “major priority”, recognising the contribution of the group that, together with the armed forces, is fighting the insurgency in Cabo Delgado.

“Support for the local forces continues to be our major priority. Our commander John Issa has already communicated to us the major concerns that our Local Force has; we have already noted them and we will immediately respond and resolve their concerns,” President Daniel Chapo says a statement from the presidency sent to the media yesterday.

The so-called Local Force is mainly composed of former guerrillas from the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), which led the war against the Portuguese colonial regime (1964-1974), and who voluntarily took up arms again to fight the rebel groups that have been carrying out attacks in Cabo Delgado since October 2017.

The Local Force has been an important ally in operations to combat the armed insurgency in northern Mozambique, with the advantage of being made up of former local guerrillas who are familiar with the geography of the region.

The Mozambican head of state, who was speaking while meeting the Local Force and the Mozambican military in Cabo Delgado, recognised the work of the former guerrillas in supporting the Mozambican defence forces and foreign forces in Cabo Delgado.

“If it weren’t for your work in support of the Mozambique Defence Forces [FADM], in support of the Defence and Security Forces [FDS] and working together with the forces of Tanzania and also of Rwanda, it wouldn’t be easy to fight terrorism (…). We have never forgotten the Local Force and we will never forget them,” Daniel Chapo declared.

The Mozambican president said that the government was working to improve infrastructure and logistical support for the military, also mentioning that he intends to “intensify visits to military positions”, the statement indicates.

“We will continue working to improve conditions in all aspects, […] in terms of access routes, but also to improve the resources and logistics of all forces […]. We are certain that morale is high, and we can continue to fight the enemy,” President Chapo concluded.