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SADC Standby Force: Mozambique confirms arrival of advance party only – O País
1:52 CAT | 22 Jul 2021
Photo: O País
Answering questions at a press conference, the Ministry of Defence has addressed some doubts about the SADC contingent being deployed to support Mozambique in the fight against terrorism. The Ministry of National Defence (MDN) says there is no secrecy on the matter, and that the troop commander is already in Mozambique.
Photographs have been released, purportedly of the arrival of SADC troops in Mozambique. In statements to the press on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence clarified that personnel seen in Cabo Delgado and Maputo are members of the advance party preparing for the arrival of troops.
“The June 23 summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government in Maputo culminated with the approval of a mandate for the deployment of a Standby Force. The objective was to support national efforts to combat terrorism in Cabo Delgado. Following this mandate, at the end of June, there was a conference on combined planning, when the steps to be followed for the deployment of that force were outlined,” Ministry of Defence spokesperson Omar Saranga explained.
“What is happening right now is the implementation of that plan. The mandate provided that the deployment of the force should take place from the 15th of this month. So, from the 15th to this date, activities are taking place with a view to receiving this force, which is in quite substantial. So, there are steps being taken so that it [the SADC standby force] can be received and get the job done. So, there are advance party teams who are working with our troops on the ground to receive the force,” he clarified.
Read: Just in: South African Special Forces arrive in Mozambique
“Force commander is already here”
The MDN said there was no secrecy surrounding the troops’ arrival, and that such information would be in the public domain. Some information, though, could not be shared, at the risk of jeopardising the deployment plan.
“When the force arrives, because it is substantial, everyone will see that it has arrived. It is not a force which comes to hide itself; it comes to support Mozambique in its efforts to fight terrorism. What we have, both in Pemba and in Maputo, are advance party teams,” Saranga reiterated, before clarifying who would command the forces.
“Command issues are already outlined in the combined planning. At this point, what matters is not to say who will command or not. The troops will be directed by the respective commands; however, the main coordinator is the Republic of Mozambique,” he said.
Later, Saranga clarified that the commander of the force “is South African and his name is Xolani Mankayi. “He is already in Mozambique and was received by the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Mozambique. He has already received a briefing about the situation,” Saranga detailed.
SA troops arrive in Mozambique to fight insurgents
Note: Deployment Commander, Major Gen Xolani Mankayi. He served as Commander of the SANDF Peace Mission to Burundi. https://t.co/ub1vs3lVcw— Jasmine Opperman (@Jasminechic00) July 21, 2021
MDN unable to confirm that Rwandan troops are already engaged in fighting
‘O País’ asked if the Rwandan troops already in Mozambique were deployed to the theatre of operations, to which Saranga replied: “This is an operational objective that I cannot answer. Only the force commander can answer that. At this time, the enemy may be paying attention to [information on] our actions, to understand the direction we are going to take. I cannot give any information on where the troops general command will be.”
Neither could the Ministry of Defence spokesperson give a definitive date for the arrival of the bulk of the SADC force.
“The enemy also wants to know when it will arrive. We know that the Mozambican people are eager to have this information, but we cannot provide information that could jeopardise the lives of the members of this force,” he said.
MDN says there is a rescue plan for those stranded IDPs
Since ‘O País’ has been reporting the presence of displaced people (IDPs) besieged and awaiting rescue on islands like Matemo, we asked whether there was a plan for such people to be evacuated to Pemba.
“Our government has been working with various organisations to support these displaced people. There is already a plan in place and, if there are people on the islands, they will be supported,” Saranga replied.
Malawi will send troops
Contrary to what was being reported by some media, Malawi may send a contingent to support the fight against terrorism in Cabo Delgado, Saranga confirmed, who mentioned the possibility of contingents from other countries arriving too.
“The Member States participating in this Standby Force are South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, Botswana and we are confident that, in the course of operations, more countries will feel able to express an interest in supporting Mozambique,” Saranga said, later adding: “In fact, Malawi is one of the countries which will send men.”
Read: Malawi won’t send troops to Mozambique
By Raul Massingue
Source: O País
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