Extra European military aid is being given to the African country to tackle “terrorism” after recent deadly attacks in the north attributed to jihadists.
EU foreign policy chief Giuseppe Borrell on Thursday reaffirmed the European Union’s support for Mozambique, announcing additional European military aid to the African country to fight “terrorism” following recent bloody attacks in the north attributed to jihadists.
Arriving from South Africa for a two-day visit to Mozambique, Mr Borrell met in the capital Maputo with President Filipe Nyusi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of his government, Veronica Makamu, and expressed during a press conference the EU’s “commitment and solidarity to Mozambique in its fight against terrorism”.
He added that the EU approved on Thursday an additional $15 million in military aid to support Mozambican forces in the volatile province of Campo Delgado (north), which is often hit by bloody attacks attributed to jihadists.
These funds will allow the authorities in Maputo to acquire equipment, in particular vehicles, and will be added to the 89 million euros already promised by Brussels to the African country’s armed forces, the EU said in a statement.
Ms Makamou described Mozambique’s relationship with the European Union as “excellent”, while Mr Newsi praised the EU’s support, including the creation of a training base for the Mozambican armed forces. Mr Borrell will visit this base today.
Giuseppe Borrell’s visit follows the killing of an Italian nun in an attack on her parish headquarters in Nabula province (northeast), which was claimed by the Islamic State group.
The attack was a “painful reminder of the fact that the fight against terrorism is not over, and unfortunately it extends beyond the district of Campo Delgado,” Mr Borel said.
Last Wednesday, President Nyusi said six people had been beheaded, three kidnapped and dozens of houses set on fire in attacks in Nabula and other towns since August 27.
Until now, this region has been free from attacks by jihadists, who mainly target the neighboring gas-rich province of Campo Delgado.
Since 2017 and the escalation of the jihadist insurgency, the violence has killed nearly 4,000 people in the country, according to the non-governmental organization ACLED, which compiles data on war zones, and uprooted some 820,000 residents. .
In July 2021, some 3,100 troops from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries were deployed to support the Mozambican army, which was unable to cope with the crisis, allowing it to regain control of large areas.
This has led to the jihadists splitting into small groups that are launching attacks further south, apparently in an attempt to overstretch security forces, according to experts in the region.
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