Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican Defence Minister Cristóvão Chume believes it is vital that joint operations between the Mozambican and Rwandan armed forces should continue for the total elimination of the Islamist terrorist groups operating in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
According to a report in Tuesday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, Chume was speaking at the weekend in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he is on a three day visit seeking to deepen military cooperation.
Chume praised “the courage and sacrifice” of the Rwandan forces and was confident that the joint operations “will weaken the insurgency still further”. He claimed that, since the deployment of the Rwandan forces in Cabo Delgado, there have been significant gains which have allowed the liberation of areas once occupied by the terrorists, and the return of thousands of displaced people to their homes.
Nonetheless, terrorism “remains a common regional threat”. Chume said. Speaking to reporters, after talks with his Rwandan counterpart, Juvenal Marizamunda, Chume said that Mozambique and Rwanda have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation, “with a particular focus on fighting terrorism and enhancing training for their armed forces.”
“Terrorism is not only threatening Mozambique, but also Rwanda and the entire region. Our efforts are common, and we discussed how to improve our response capability, particularly through training, intelligence sharing, and operational coordination,” he said.
“We came to Rwanda to recognize the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who are combating terrorism in Mozambique, and to pay homage to those who gave their lives in this noble mission. Their memory will not be forgotten”, he said.
He added that the visit also served to prepare a state visit by Mozambican President, Daniel Chapo, who is expected in Rwanda in the near future.
According to the Rwandan press, the Mozambican delegation also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to honor victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda sent a contingent of troops and police to Cabo Delgado, at the request of the Mozambican government, in July 2021. Since then they have played a key role in counter-terrorism operations.
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