Mozambique: ‘Very close’ EU-State alliance in fighting insurgents – ambassador

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Mozambique: ‘Very close’ EU-State alliance in fighting insurgents – ambassador

11:03 CAT | 22 Aug 2024

Photo: @EUTMMozambique/X

The European Union ambassador in Maputo on Wednesday pointed to a ‘very close’ partnership with Mozambique in the ‘great challenge’ of combating attacks in the north of the country, following the signing of the agreement to extend the European military training mission.

‘The signing of this agreement is a significant moment in the context of the political partnership between the Republic of Mozambique and the European Union. It’s a very close partnership (…) to support the country for development, in this case, in the context of the great challenge in the area of security, in the combat in the north, in the context of the crisis in Cabo Delgado,’ said Antonino Maggiore, after signing the agreement with Mozambique’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Verónica Macamo.

Maggiore and Macamo signed the agreement in Maputo on the status of the European Union (EU) Military Training Mission in Mozambique, whose activities will run until 2026, after extension by the EU Council.

Satisfeito por concretizar, em Maputo, junto com a Ministra dos Negócios Estrangeiros e Cooperação, a assinatura do Acordo entre a União Europeia?? e a República de Moçambique?? sobre o Estatuto da Missão de Formação Militar da UE em Moçambique. @EUTMMozambique @eu_eeas pic.twitter.com/5ZBcNCHPlJ

— Antonino Maggiore (@MaggioreEU) August 22, 2024

Antonino Maggiore also pointed to the ‘significant results’ achieved by the Mozambican government in the fight against armed insurgency in the north, saying that the extension of the European training mission in Mozambique is ‘testimony to the will’ to strengthen relations with the country.

‘This is also the moment to celebrate the signing and also to celebrate the continuation of this mission for another two years, which is once again testimony to our will to strengthen the partnership with Mozambique,’ said the European ambassador.

Verónica Macamo, for her part, thanked the European Union for its support, reiterating the importance of the training mission for Mozambique.

‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mission for its dedication to training our young people, but also for all the support it has given in the fight against terrorism in the north of Cabo Delgado province,’ said the head of Mozambican diplomacy.

In May, the Council of the European Union announced the extension of the military training mission in Mozambique until June 2026, with an estimated budget of €14 million.

The European Union also announced the adaptation of the mission’s strategic objectives from a training model to an assistance model, thus changing its name to EU Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM Mozambique), with effect from 1 September this year.

READ: Greek military to participate in new EU Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique -EUMAM

Mozambique: EUTM-MOZ – J4 Branch – Logistic Support

The European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ), led by Portugal, has trained more than 1,650 Mozambican special forces soldiers who are already fighting terrorism in Cabo Delgado, a province that has been plagued by attacks from rebel groups since 2017.

The Mozambican commandos and marines trained by EUTM-MOZ are already on the ground, at a time when the withdrawal of military forces from southern African countries that supported Mozambique in the fight against terrorism is underway.

The EUTM-MOZ training mission includes 119 soldiers from 13 member states, more than half from Portugal, but has the particularity of including two other countries, outside the European Union, which contribute one soldier each, in the cases of Serbia and Cabo Verde.

Since October 2017, the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed rebellion with attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State.

The last major attack took place on 10 and 11 May on the district headquarters of Macomia, with around a hundred insurgents sacking the town, causing several deaths and heavy fighting with Mozambique’s defence and security forces and Rwandan soldiers, who are also supporting Mozambique in the fight against the rebels.

Since the beginning of August, different sources on the ground, including the local force, have reported intense clashes between the joint military mission and the insurgents in the forests of the Mucojo (Macomia) administrative post, involving helicopters, armoured vehicles and heavily armed men, with reports of shootings in places considered to be hiding places for these groups.

Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) signed between Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Union Ambassador.?????
SOMA was signed between European Union & Republic of Mozambique, which establish the privileges & immunities of #EUTMMOZ personnel.✍️?@eu_eeas @EUinMoz pic.twitter.com/cdUN9aO3Lf

— EUTM Mozambique (@EUTMMozambique) August 22, 2024